Coming Home
by imdoingthiswhy
Summary: It's Castle's birthday, and one of his gifts is that his little girl is moving back home…without Pi in her life. He didn't think he could be happier. (Very AU after the May 3 episode and finale. LOL One of those stories that was intended to stop around chapter 3 or 4 but wandered off on its own.) Involves family, some excitement, and so much fluff I should be ashamed.
1. Chapter 1

**Coming Home**

The night Alexis showed up at the loft and asked if she could move back home, Castle sat and talked to her; and between them, they arranged a plan for helping her take care of the lease obligations and move back into her room at the loft. He suspected that Kate had a hand in Alexis being more open to the idea of coming home; but neither Kate nor Alexis had mentioned it, so he let it go in favor of being relieved that his daughter seemed to have returned to being his sensible child. As their plan took shape, Alexis let it slip that Kate had encouraged her to come home, so they ran their plan past her and asked if she had anything to add. Castle pointed out that they would legally be a family within a few months and they should all be part of the planning; so Kate asked a couple of questions and made a suggestion after both of them talked to her, and then Alexis went back to her apartment.

"I keep thinking I can't love you any more than I do, but you keep finding ways to prove me wrong," Castle said when he closed the door behind his daughter and draped an arm around his fiancé's shoulders as they walked toward the sofa. "Thank you, Kate."

"For what?"

"For getting Alexis to see that she doesn't have to punish herself long-term for making a mistake…for being the last link in getting her to come home and regroup where there are people who love her."

"I didn't do that much."

"Most of the women I've known wouldn't have done anything at all, but you did. It's part of your extraordinariness," he answered, squeezing her shoulder gently.

She looked up and grinned at him. "Is that even a word, Mr. Writer?"

"It was coined just for you. You should feel honored," he answered playfully.

"I do," she said more seriously, "every day we're together. So, thank _you._" She turned and moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I still can't understand why you were willing to wait for me."

"My new word explains it," he said with an answering smile, closing his arms around her waist and dropping a little kiss on her lips. "I could see it from the beginning, and I didn't want to lose that."

She planted an appreciative kiss on his lips in return before getting back to the subject at hand. "Sounds like you and Alexis have her move all worked out. You look relieved. You look happy."

"I am happy." He gave her one of his lopsided smiles. "You actually went and encouraged my little girl to come home."

"She isn't a little girl anymore, Rick. You're going to have to learn to deal with that."

"I know," he sighed. "I just hate having to admit it. The point is that my family will be intact for a little longer. We're an eclectic crowd, but we're a good family…my mother, my daughter…my wife…almost wife."

"And the man of the house," she added.

He pulled her into a close embrace and rested his head on hers. "Can we try to have a little Castle _boy_ baby when the time is right? I love this family; but I'm outnumbered three to one, and given last year's surprise party, I know you're all capable of conspiring against me. I need back-up."

Kate laughed and pulled away to look at him. "You know you loved it…the party, and the fact that we all conspired."

"Yeah. It _was_ pretty awesome."

"And Alexis is coming back on your birthday. Way better than a murder mystery party."

"Same awesomeness, different genre," he assured her.

Kate slid her hands down his arms and took his hands in hers. "I'm not worried about your mom, but your daughter...do you think she's really okay with my being here when she comes home? I thought Alexis and I were okay when you and I first got together; but since you proposed, it feels different."

"Mother has adopted you as the daughter she never knew she wanted. That's never happened before. And Alexis doesn't seem to have a problem with you. She was angry with me, and you were caught in the middle…and I'm sorry that happened. Now that she's thinking more like herself again, I think she understands the circumstances. And none of us can deny that she didn't decide to come home until after you talked to her. I think that bodes well."

"I hope so."

"Mother and I know so."

"Well, for whatever reason, she's coming back home. Can I interest you in some celebratory ice cream?"

"You still have to ask?"

Taking his hand, she led him to the breakfast bar in the kitchen. "Sit down, and I'll get it. You want Rocky Road?"

"Why don't we try that new Ben and Jerry's? That looked good. Just open it and grab a couple of spoons."

They sat side by side at the breakfast bar with the open carton between them, eating their ice cream and talking between bites.

"So she's going to call and let you know how much you need to put in her account to take care of the lease?"

"She said she'll talk to the landlord after her morning classes and text me. Ordinarily I'd have my attorney take care of it, but she said the landlord is a good guy – grew up in the neighborhood and lives in the building himself, takes good care of his tenants; so I won't give the man a hard time. She seems to think he'll be fair. If it doesn't seem fair to me, I'll talk to him."

He ran his hand through his hair and took in a deep breath, releasing it sharply. "I don't know what got into her. It was like she was intent on pushing every button she knew would set me off…like she had forgotten every rule of courtesy I ever taught her. I'm _so_ glad she's coming home, but I'm not sure how to handle it. I don't want to greet her at the door with a rule book, but I can't let her walk all over us like that again. She's apologized for being so angry with me, but she has yet to even mention the kind of hell she put us through with Pi."

"I doubt you'll have to remind her again about general courtesy…and you can look for an opening to talk to her about it if you need to…or lay down the law if you see it happening again. She was trying to establish her independence and made some bad choices. I think we'll just have to play it by ear."

"It feels good to hear you say 'we'."

"We're partners, right?"

"Right. For a long time to come."

He leaned and kissed her cheek with his cold mouth, and she pulled away with a little squeal. "Ice cream lips," she protested, which only encouraged more cold kisses and squealing.

That was when Martha got home. She stopped just inside the doorway, smiling, to watch the show while there was still enough noise and movement that they didn't realize she was home. When Castle had sufficiently warmed his lips all over Kate's face and the foolishness had resolved itself into laughter, Martha let her presence be known and walked toward them, leaving her purse on the sofa.

"Richard, will you ever grow up? Katherine, you have my sympathy…as well as my deepest gratitude for putting up with him."

Kate grinned at her future mother-in-law. "Get yourself a spoon, Martha. We're trying a new flavor, and it's great."

"The two of you are in a good mood," she answered, opening the drawer to find a spoon. "Any particular reason, or is it simply love in the air?" When she mentioned love in the air, there was a typical Martha flourish with the hand holding the spoon.

"A little of both, Mother."

"Then what, pray tell, is the occasion?" she asked, digging the spoon into the ice cream and humming briefly in pleasure at her first taste.

"Alexis is moving back home soon. My amazing fiancé convinced her."

"Well done, darling," she said, looking at Kate in surprise. "I don't know how you managed that, but thank you."

"She'll probably want to move back to the dorm or into another apartment in the fall," Castle answered, but I'll feel better that she'll be here for a while. I just need to see that she's really okay before she leaves again. I…" His voice trailed off as he absent-mindedly poked his spoon in the ice cream.

"You're a good dad, Richard Castle," Kate told him. "Don't you ever doubt that."

"And I couldn't ask for a better son," Martha added, snagging another spoon of ice cream.

"And you're the best fiancé I could have found," Kate added with a little peck on his cheek.

"The two of you are actually building my ego?" Castle asked in feigned shock.

"See? Sometimes it isn't so bad when we gang up on you," Kate answered. "Apparently ice cream helps set the mood."

He innocently took another bite of the Ben and Jerry's and leaned over to kiss her cheek with very cold lips again, landing several before she could pull away.

"Aaaaand there goes the moment," Kate laughed.

Martha smiled and put her spoon in the dishwasher, turning and walking to pick her purse up from the sofa. I'm going to bed, _children. _Try to keep the noise level down while you're playing." Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, she turned back with a smirk and said, "Well that could be interpreted a couple of ways. Keep that noise down, too."

"Mother…" Castle groaned.

Not turning around again, she waved him off as she climbed the stairs.

Kate leaned her head on his shoulder, and he turned to kiss it. "Sorry about that," he apologized.

"It's Martha," she grinned. "I was waiting for it."

"You were taking care of my self-esteem…stroking my ego," he said with a pleased, smirky little smile.

"Wanna go see what else I can find to stroke?" she whispered mischievously.

Without a word, Castle grabbed their spoons and dropped them in the sink, put the lid on the ice cream container and put it away, then picked up his fiancé, threw her over his shoulder fireman style, and carried her off to their room, growling and making caveman noises as she laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Kate went to the precinct early the next morning, telling Castle to take his time. The case they were currently working on was going well, and they were in waiting mode until the lab work hopefully confirmed their suspicions.

About nine-thirty, just as Esposito came from the break room, Castle came in with two coffees; and as they walked farther into the bullpen, the detective asked Castle, "What's got you looking so happy this morning?" When Castle handed Beckett her coffee and they locked eyes for a moment before she thanked him, he added, "Or maybe I don't want to know."

Castle sat down next to Kate's desk and looked up at Esposito with a contented smile. "Alexis is moving back home soon. She came by to talk about it last night."

"Is she bringing the weird guy back with her?"

"No. She blessedly came to her senses and broke up with him."

"Lots of changes going on in Castleland, huh? Daughter coming back, new book coming out, book tour plans, wedding plans, honeymoon plans..." Esposito leaned his head toward Kate as he paused briefly, "tying yourself to this one for life…"

"Don't make me hurt you," Beckett threatened, leaning back and looking menacingly at the other detective before she took a sip of her coffee.

"I rest my case," Esposito said to Castle. "Not too late to back out," he added with a grin then walked back to his desk as Castle smiled at the easy play between their team.

Kate took a sip of her coffee before she agreed with Esposito. "He's right about all the things that are happening, though. How are you holding up?" she asked as she opened the file she had pulled out just before Castle arrived.

"I'm about to marry you. As long as I know that's happening, I'm good."

She flashed him her best smile and quickly looked back at her file before she lost control and did something totally inappropriate for work.

Castle hid his knowing smirk behind his coffee cup. "Right now you want to kiss me to within an inch of my life, don't you?" he whispered with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Shut up, Castle." She tried to look stern, but the fact that she couldn't keep the corners of her lips from turning up spoiled the effect. "Besides, no matter what Espo said, you know as well as I do that if you actually backed out of this, the boys and Lanie would collaborate on what they could do to you without getting caught. Too late now, Babe."

After he gave her one of the low, rumbly chuckles, which did nothing to help Beckett keep her hands and lips to herself, Castle got back to precinct business. "Anything new come in yet?" he asked.

"Not yet. Shouldn't be too long, though."

He was quiet for a long moment and then blurted out, "Do you think Alexis is okay by herself?"

That question had come out of the blue, and Beckett looked up again, wondering if she should be concerned about anything. "I think so, but I'll feel better when she's where someone knows if she gets home or not, too."

"When we talked last night, she looked worn down…kind of sad. I hated to see her leave."

"Rick," she said softly, "she's been trying to take care of everything on her own financially, trying to do too much…overcompensating, trying to prove she can do it and not burden you with it. She's probably physically exhausted, and she's bound to have been on an emotional roller coaster lately, too. I'm sure it's all catching up with her. Want me to meet her for lunch or take her shopping, visit a museum or something…a change of pace to distract her? Failure isn't easy, especially for someone like Alexis. She hasn't had a lot of experience with failure."

"I'd like that. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you want to spend time with her."

"Stop it. I enjoyed Alexis from the first time I met her. The whole Pi living at the loft thing, not so much; but I'm pretty sure that version of your daughter is history. I'll call her tonight and see if we can find some time together."

Just as Castle was about to say something else, Ryan came in with a file folder.

"Hey guys. I dropped something off at the lab this morning for Ebbitts. He had to be in court this morning. The lab guys had just finished our report, so I brought a printout with me; Ray said he'd email us our own copies as soon as things let up a little. Everything we suspected was confirmed. Looks like we got her."

"Great. I'll get someone to bring her in, and we'll get a statement…and with any luck, a confession. Then we can close this one. Thanks, Ryan."

xxxxx

A couple of days later, Kate met Alexis for dinner, and then they walked for a while where they could talk as they did some random window shopping.

"How did it go?" Castle asked from his desk when he heard his fiancé come in.

"Your daughter and I are good, Castle. You don't have to worry about cat fights in the family or anything," she teased.

When he came to meet her in the foyer, Kate dropped her things near the door and gave him a thorough kiss. "She's fine…just worn out. I think doing something different did her good. It did me some good, too. We had a nice evening out, and it was fun; but I missed you. What did you do while I was gone?"

"Started working on a schedule for spring," he answered, folding her into a loose embrace and returning the kiss with an little peck on her lips. "Espo got me thinking this morning. We do have a lot going on in the next few months, and we never know what your job is going to throw at us. Do you feel up to some planning tonight? Anything we plan could be thrown off kilter when another body drops, but at least we'd know how far it set us back and where we need to catch up."

"Let's do that. We have to finish putting a wedding together pretty fast. Can we do that first? No. Alexis first. Is there anything I need to help you with to be sure she feels good about coming home?"

"I need to arrange for a small moving truck to pick up her things on Monday and get someone to deliver packing boxes tomorrow so she can decide what to bring home. Other than that, we just need to have her room clear and fresh linens waiting for her…and maybe a few of her favorite comfort foods in the kitchen." Turning to stand beside Kate, he took her hand, walked them to his desk, and handed her several months' worth of calendars. "But I think even Alexis would agree that the wedding is a high priority. I printed out some calendars with all the important dates in my schedule. We can add any obligations you have and start from there, then we could work on a timeline of steps to be sure they all happen without a hitch."

Kate looked through the calendar pages and pulled out her phone to look over her schedule. "Where do you want to work?"

"Bed? I like being in bed thinking about being married to you."

"Sap," she said, trying not to smile and failing. "But I like thinking about that, too," she admitted. "You still have those legal pads we were using for the guest list?"

"Right here," he answered, pulling them from a desk drawer and getting a couple of pens.

"Then let's get started."

They toed off their shoes, settled back against the headboard, and went to work; and in a couple of hours, they had as much of a plan of action as they could put together without more information than they presently had.

"We might need to hire a planner after all," Castle told her. "Not to do everything, but to coordinate it. There's no telling what kind of last minute things could turn up, and it would be more helpful than you can imagine to have someone else in charge of arranging for deliveries and fittings and food, and…"

Putting the tips of her fingers over his lips to stop him, she said, "You had me convinced at the word 'coordinate'. We have way too many bits and pieces."

"Okay," he responded, kissing her fingertips before adding a note to a small list at the top corner of his legal pad. "I'll call someone about that tomorrow, too."

"We made some good headway. I'm proud of us." Kate observed, looking at their work.

"Me, too."

"Why don't you put all this away for now," she suggested. "I'm going to change and get a glass of water, then I'm ready to snuggle up close to you and get some sleep."

xxxxx

Mid-afternoon the Thursday before Alexis was supposed to move, Kate called her to offer some help.

"Hey, Alexis."

"Kate?"

"We were up at an ungodly hour of the morning for this case, and we're at a standstill until tomorrow; so the captain sent us home early. I thought I'd see if you need help with last minute packing. You said you taking today off."

"If you were up that early, wouldn't you rather go home and sleep?"

"I'll just go to bed early. If you want some help, I'll come by…and bring coffee…or hot chocolate."

"Okay. Sure. Coffee sounds great. I was about to start packing the kitchen stuff."

"I'll be there in about half an hour."

When Kate arrived at the apartment, Alexis was assembling packing boxes. She put the coffee down on the kitchen table and helped with the last two in the stack, and they sipped coffee and talked as they worked.

"How much have you already packed?"

"Most of my winter clothes and most of the linens, everything in the bedroom except what I'm still using. What I need for school is in the living room. That's going to be the last thing to pack and the first to open. I haven't had much time to work on it, though. By the end of the day, it's late, and I don't have much energy for packing. It's taking forever."

"Well, let's see how fast we can pack what's in the kitchen. Then you'll have one less thing to worry about."

"I don't know how there can be this much to pack. We weren't here that long," Alexis said when she opened the cabinet. "Some of it I don't need. I should probably call Pi and see if he can use it. Guess I need a separate box for those things." She looked around and sighed. "This is so hard, Kate. I thought I loved him."

"It's never easy, but it gets better eventually."

"How long?" she asked ruefully, not really expecting an answer.

"All of us move at our own pace. I know it doesn't help much right now, but keep in mind the old saying that you have to kiss some frogs before you find the prince. Part of learning to be independent is making mistakes, getting through them, and learning from them. I can't say it's much fun, but it didn't kill me. It won't kill you, either…but it makes us sad, maybe angry, and makes us doubt ourselves for a while."

"But I didn't just kiss the frog. I brought the frog home to annoy my family and then moved in with him." Her voice was softer, but she murmured, "And gave him…what I hadn't given anybody before." Feeling Kate's hand sympathetically smoothing over her back, she returned to the moment and said, "I'm sorry. You don't need me to dump this on you."

Kate put an arm around her almost step-daughter's shoulders and gently squeezed the one under her hand. "You can dump things on me when you need to. It's what family is for, right?"

"But…"

"But nothing. When I marry your dad, I'm not going to try to replace your mother; but I'll legally be your stepmother. That means you'll be partly mine, doesn't it?"

The girl nodded warily. "You really want me to be partly yours?"

"I've known for a long time that Richard Castle and his family are a package deal, and I've fallen in love with all of you." Looking as if something just dawned on her, Kate said, "You know, he's been in meetings all afternoon, and he's expecting me for dinner at seven. Want to make his day and go with me?"

"I should be working on this."

"Then let's see how fast we can get it done. I'll come back this weekend if you need help."

"Leave me a set of silverware and a plate and a mug. We can pack the rest now. You start at that end, and I'll start at this end? The kitchen isn't very big. It shouldn't take too long."

They emptied cabinets and drawers into the boxes Alexis indicated and marked them all as to contents; and while Kate pushed the boxes into the corner of the living room, Alexis started taking things down from the wall. About the time Kate set the last filled box against the wall, she heard Alexis quietly say, "Noooo." As she walked back to the kitchen, she saw the girl pick up her phone and check it.

"Something wrong?" Kate asked.

"I'm late."

"Late for what? Do you need me to drive you somewhere?"

Alexis had a stricken look on her face, and her eyes were tearing up. "Not that kind of late," she answered quietly with her eyes down.

That was when Kate realized the calendar Alexis was holding was the last thing the younger woman had removed from the wall, and she had a good idea of what she was checking on her phone. She wrapped Alexis in her arms and held her firmly as the calendar fluttered to the floor. "How late? she asked as calmly and quietly as she could manage.

"About three weeks, Alexis answered tremulously. "Kate, what if…"

"Okay, honey, the first thing you're going to do is not panic before we know if there's a reason to. The second thing we're going to do is find a drugstore and buy some tests to find out if there _is_ a reason. Splash some water on your face, dry it off, and let's go."

"You're going with me?" Alexis asked as she splashed and dried.

"Of course I am. Unless you don't want me to."

"I want you to. There's a drugstore on the corner…to the right."

"Would you rather I go alone and bring them back?" Kate asked.

"No. I'd go crazy just waiting by myself."

Kate held out her hand, and Alexis took it without hesitation before they left. They came back with several tests, different brands, and Alexis locked the door behind them. After both of them read the directions to be sure nothing was out of the ordinary about any of them, Kate opened all the boxes, gave the test sticks to Alexis, and told her to go pee on all of them so they would know whether to panic or not. "Just line them up on the vanity and come back and wait with me."

Alexis was back in almost no time and came to sit close to Kate at the table. "What if it's positive?"

Kate took her hand and held it in both of hers. Then your family will be there with you while you make your decisions, and…"

"I know what that means, but there's no decision to make. Grams kept Dad and loved him. I know if it hadn't been for my dad, my mom probably wouldn't have had me. She told me they got married because of me, so I know he married somebody he didn't really love because he wanted me to have a father who loved me. Grams had Dad on her own. They both made some big sacrifices to keep their children, but neither of them seems to have regrets about it; and I couldn't make myself do anything but what they did. I want to have children one day; but right now, I'm no more ready to be a parent than they were. That was a family tradition I was hoping to break."

"I'm a lot older than you, and I'm not sure I'm ready to be a mom either," Kate assured her.

"You're doing a pretty good job right now."

"Thank you," Kate answered, moving one arm around Alexis' shoulders and pulling her close. "You may need to tell me that again later when it's my turn to panic. Your dad has requested a boy. He says he's outnumbered and needs back-up."

Alexis allowed herself a nervous laugh just before the timer on Kate's phone sounded. "Are you ready to look?" the detective asked.

"No, but I guess I have to."

"Want some company?"

"Yeah. Please?" She took Kate's hand as if her life depended on that contact, and they both walked to the bathroom door, where Alexis stopped and looked at the room as if it contained a bomb. "Will you look and tell me, Kate? I'm scared."

"Okay. Stand right here. I'm not going to let go of your hand. I'm just going to get close enough to see." She looked at the tests, closed her eyes and lowered her head a moment, then picked one up to show Alexis. When she turned back to her fiancé's frightened daughter, she waved the negative test at her with a smile. "They all look like this."

"So I'm not…"

"We can ask Lanie to do a blood test if you want…just to be certain, but I think five negatives is a good sign, don't you?"

Alexis finally went from panic to relief in a flood of tears as she threw herself into Kate's arms, and Kate held her until she had cried it out.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah," she sniffled. "Do we have to tell Dad? He might never forgive me."

"Your dad loves you, no matter what…and it's up to you to tell him. I don't like the idea of not telling him myself, though. I've used some bad judgment of my own in not telling him things I should have known were too important to hold back. They all seemed to make sense at the time, but they caused some hard feelings and misunderstandings between us that didn't need to happen. I'm still earning back his trust, and I don't want to give him another cause to doubt me. I'm trying to be honest with you. You deserve that from me."

"I understand."

"Do you want me to call Lanie?"

"Would you? I want to be a hundred per cent sure…and I don't know if I could start that conversation right now. After that, I'll talk to Dad…after his birthday."

Kate nodded. "That sounds reasonable."

Alexis looked at all the boxes they had just packed together and back at Kate. "You really meant it when you said you'd be here when I needed you."

"Of course, I did. In your father's words…always."

"I didn't mean to put your intentions to the test like that quite so soon...or quite so big."

"You don't see me running yet, do you?"

"No," she smiled. "But you probably wanted to. Thank you for staying." Stopping to calm herself briefly, Alexis asked. "Why else would I be that late?"

"Could be stress. You've been pushing yourself pretty hard. If something doesn't happen soon, though, you should probably check in with your doctor." She paused when she saw Alexis nod.

"I'm so relieved," Alexis said on a released breath.

"Motherhood is a scary thought when you know you aren't ready for it," Kate agreed as she sat down at the table again.

"It's more than that," Alexis answered, sitting across from Kate and folding her hands together on the tabletop. Dad has had Mom messing with his life since I was born, and she could still turn up at anything that's important for me for as long as they live. Pi has a good heart. He's a good, caring person, just not the one I want to spend my life with. He'd want to be around to love his child like Dad did, and I couldn't justify not telling him; but that would mean we'd be connected forever. The hurt would come back every time we saw each other, just like it does for Dad. Mom cheated on him. He never told me bad things about her; she told me that…as if it shouldn't be a big problem. I don't think Pi would intentionally wreak the kind of havoc Mom is capable of, but he has even fewer filters on his behavior than Dad does at his very worst, so who knows. I'm…I'm just relieved," she sighed. "Sorry. I know I'm rambling."

"This afternoon was pretty intense. You've earned a little rambling. You need to come to dinner with us…get out of here and unwind a little bit. When was the last time you ate?"

"This morning, I think. I slept for a while just before you called.

"Then let's get a good meal into you and give you some time away. It's going to take a while to get to the restaurant in rush hour traffic, so go and get ready now. If we get there early, we can do a little window shopping again."

"Okay. Being alone isn't appealing right now. I won't be long."

"I'll be right here."

"I think I know that now." She held out her hand and Kate took it. "My luck in the mothering department hasn't been great so far, but maybe it's changing. Thank you for caring enough to keep me grounded this afternoon.

They smiled at one another, and Alexis slowly let her hand slip from Kate's as she went to her bedroom to change.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Traffic was terrible, and Kate and Alexis reached the restaurant only a few minutes after Castle. As they entered the restaurant, John, the maître d', greeted the two women by name.

Miss Beckett, Mr. Castle just arrived. I'll show you back to him. Miss Alexis, this is a surprise. It's good to see you again."

"I know our reservation was for two. One more won't be a problem, will it?"

"Of course not." Turning to one of the wait staff, he said, "See that an extra chair and place setting is delivered to Mr. Castle's table immediately." He watched to see that the young man hurried off to do his bidding, and then he turned back to the two women and motioned them to join him. Reaching the table, he said, "I've brought you a surprise, Mr. Castle, then turning to Kate and Alexis, he nodded and said, "Enjoy your evening."

"Thank you," both women said together, then smiled at one another, amused.

"Look who I found," Kate said as Castle happily stood to greet the two loves of his life.

"Alexis! You're here, too." He hugged her briefly and kissed her forehead. "Someone just brought an extra chair. Sit," he told her, motioning to his left. By that time, Kate had moved to his right, and he placed his hand on her shoulder and leaned to give her a quick kiss on the cheek before they sat down.

"Where did you find her?" he asked, obviously pleased to see both of them.

"Actually, she came looking for me," Alexis answered. "She got off early this afternoon and came to help me pack."

"You did that?" he asked, looking toward Kate with the same joy he showed each time she did something for his daughter.

"She did," Alexis answered. "We spent the afternoon together, and she insisted I come with her for dinner." As she mentioned spending the afternoon together, she reached for Kate's hand with an appreciative look that alerted her father to the possibility that there was more to their afternoon than packing.

"Did something happen? Is everything all right?" he asked.

Kate looked to Alexis, who nodded. "There was something else. I had a temporary breakdown; but Kate talked me through it, and I don't want to have another one in public. I'm okay, and I promise to talk to you after I get settled in at home. Just give me a little time…please.

Castle nodded his agreement, still looking concerned; but he took Kate's other hand, and she felt loving little squeezes from both Castles. After returning them, she self-consciously removed her hands, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and picked up her menu. "We should order. It's getting late, and all of us had a long day."

They ordered, then they talked while they waited and while they ate. Kate caught Castle up on what happened at work after he left for his meetings. He and Alexis confirmed moving plans for Monday, then he told them about his meetings at Black Pawn, waxing dramatic now and then to entertain them. By the time they had finished their dinner, they were all smiling…and the wait staff was smiling in their wake. The three were some of their favorite customers, not only because of Castle's generous tips, but because of the feeling of good will that almost always accompanied them. It was the first time they had seen all three of them together, and it looked like that dynamic wouldn't change with an additional member of the family.

When they reached the street, Castle asked if they wanted to do something together.

"I have an early class tomorrow, and I'm pretty wiped out. I should just go home," Alexis answered.

"We should, too," Kate agreed, looking at Castle. We started much too early this morning, and I don't know about you, but I need sleep. Come on, Alexis. I'll take you home."

"You have your car?" Castle asked. I already had John call the car service.

"They can take you home, that way nobody has to sit in the back seat of the cop car," Kate answered with a grin.

"You don't need to go that far out of your way, Kate. I'll get a cab," Alexis protested.

"How about this? Alexis, the driver will take you home," her dad offered. "I'd feel better knowing you're with one of our regular drivers than in some random taxi alone. Kate can take _me_ home."

"I can see you not having a problem with that."

He gave his daughter a mischievous smile, then seeing her hesitance, he assured her, "It isn't the limo, just a nice clean, shiny car with a driver."

"Okay. Thanks, Dad." She gave him a hug and kissed his cheek when she saw the car rounding the corner. Turning to Kate, she engulfed her father's fiancé in a big hug. "I'm really glad you were there today," she said softly.

"Me, too…but I'm hoping the heaviest testing of my intentions is done now."

Alexis laughed, and Castle watched, wondering what had gone on between them. As the driver got out to open the door, Alexis took Kate's hand, much as she had done that afternoon, and held it until she was closer to the car, gradually letting it slip away. "Thanks for taking care of me," she said as she got into the car.

"Always. I told you that," Kate answered, and waved. "Call if you need me…any time."

After the driver closed the door behind Alexis, Castle tipped him well and said, "She'll give you the address. It isn't too bad, but it isn't the best neighborhood, either; so don't leave until you see that she's safely in the building."

"No problem, Mr. Castle. Thanks," he answered, pocketing his tip and returning to the driver's seat.

Castle waved as the car pulled away then turned to Kate. "Where are you parked?"

"Around the corner," she responded, motioning to indicate which corner, and they started walking.

"I don't know what you helped her through, but she looked at you like you were golden. Do I get any hints?"

"No. It's hers to tell. I told her I didn't feel good about keeping it from you, and told her why…and she said she'd talk to you later. I want you both to trust me, and it's a fine line sometimes. She understood that."

"I won't ask again, then. I understand, too." When they reached the car, the street was empty of other people. "You promised my daughter 'Always'," he said, sounding almost awed, and took her in his arms to kiss her long and slow.

"Does it really surprise both of you this much that someone who loves you would want to be there for your family as well? Your family takes care of me…as far as I can tell, simply because they want to; why wouldn't you expect me to do the same for all of you? Do I need to remind you that I'm voluntarily marrying the whole family?"

"I guess it does surprise us. We haven't had that kind of experience with other women in my life. Her own mother doesn't take care of Alexis the way you must have this afternoon. I suppose we've all been conditioned to expect disappointment."

"Well, I'm not going to disappoint you on that score. I like having all of you to come home to, and I want all of you to believe you can count on me."

"Mother has known that for a good while. It looks like you've won my daughter over now, and I fall in love with you a little bit more every time I see it happen. It's one of those things I know, but it still overwhelms me."

"Let's take this home, Castle," she answered, placing her hands on his chest. "A shower and bed, and we can kiss each other to sleep?"

After one more kiss, he walked to her side and opened her door for her as soon as he heard the remote click the lock open, then he got in on his side and said, "Take me home."

xxxxx

After they had interrogated their suspect on Friday afternoon, Beckett told Castle she needed to make a phone call and was going to take it somewhere a little less public, saying she would be back in a few minutes.

"Anything wrong?" Castle asked.

"No. You don't need to worry. Promise."

"I'll have coffee for you when you get back."

She left with a smile, and Castle headed for the break room. She returned with a smile, too, raising his normal curiosity level even higher, but he didn't say anything. She didn't look like there was a problem with whatever the call was about. After giving him an appreciative look for the coffee waiting on her desk, she told him, "I think I'm going to check with Alexis and see if she needs any help with packing this weekend." The movers will be there on Monday afternoon and she still had some things to do. She had a full schedule today and wanted to finish the packing tomorrow and clean up on Sunday. And there's a test she didn't want to miss early Monday morning. I know she's exhausted."

"I'll help, too. Whatever gets her back home."

"Why don't you call her tonight and see if she wants us?"

"I'll call when we get home."

"We need to talk to that last witness again…the woman across the street," Beckett said, getting back to their case. Something about what the suspect told us doesn't line up with her story, but I can't put my finger on it, yet."

They went over their notes from the witness interview and the recent interrogation, and Beckett pointed out the part of the story that didn't work for her. Castle had the same feeling that something didn't line up, but neither of them could pinpoint why. "You want to go and talk to her again now, don't you?" he asked.

"Maybe if we do, we can find that missing link."

Without a word, Castle picked up her coat and held it for her, giving her shoulders a little squeeze after she shrugged into it; then they reported their plans to the captain, saying they would probably go home after they saw the witness, and then they left.

When Martha came home, they were sitting close together at the dining table where they had been talking about the two statements, and had just realized what didn't jibe about the two stories and how it implicated their suspect. "We'll get a warrant tomorrow morning," Beckett said triumphantly.

"Hello, Mother. Your brilliant children have just solved another one."

Martha left her purse on the kitchen counter, stood behind them with her hands on their shoulders, planted a kiss on each of their heads, and answered, "And I'm extremely proud of my brilliant children." Taking out a bottle of her favorite wine, she got out the corkscrew adding, "Now maybe one of them would open this bottle?" and set it on the table in front of them. Watching her son, she innocently said, "What? This was a long day…and it looks like the two of you have cause to celebrate." She got down three glasses and put them on the table while Castle opened the bottle.

Kate glanced at Castle and smiled. "She's right. We deserve some wine, Writer-man."

xxxxx

On Saturday morning, Kate arranged for an arrest warrant for their suspect, and hoped that 'on call' for the weekend wouldn't mean being called in during the weekend. They went to help Alexis that afternoon, and Castle took them all to a movie to celebrate the last of the boxes. His daughter insisted on staying at the apartment until Monday because she was closer to campus and wouldn't have to be up as early to make it to her test on time.

Castle understood. It made sense, but he wanted her to hurry up and come home. With that in mind, he settled for the movie and kept her close as long as he could.

xxxxx

On Sunday, Martha, Kate and Castle made breakfast together, teasing each other as they worked; then, after they ate, Kate said she needed to go to her apartment to pick up a few things, check her mail and such, and would be back late that afternoon.

Castle took her hand and walked her to the door, bringing it up to kiss it before she could open the door to leave. "You're not going to end up spending the night there, are you?" he asked quietly.

"What? No," she answered. "I told you I'd be back this afternoon." She saw the little hint of worry in his eyes and melted out of her stern response. "Hey. I don't want to spend the night without you, either, Rick. Before long I won't need to go back there at all. I just need to get a few things done, and then I'll be back home…in your bed tonight."

"If you're called in, let me know and I'll go with you."

"Okay." She stroked one hand across his cheek, sliding it down to his shoulder, ran the fingers of the other one through the hair at the back of his head and gave him a slow, gentle kiss. "I love you, Richard Castle."

"I love you, too, Katherine Beckett. And it's ours."

"Ours?"

"The bed. It isn't mine. It's ours."

He got the 'only for Castle' smile from her. "Then I'll be in _our_ bed tonight," she whispered and grazed another kiss over his lips before she left.

Arriving at her apartment, she found the stack of boxes her super had been instructed to let the movers deliver and started packing boxes…surprised at how few of her personal items were still there. By the time she left, everything but the furniture was in labelled boxes or suitcases and pushed against the wall in the living room ready for pick-up. That apartment hadn't been home for a good while…just a familiar place with no family in it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Monday afternoon wasn't getting there fast enough, and Castle fidgeted and talked through the morning at the precinct. Beckett had insisted that he come with her so he wouldn't drive himself crazy at home alone waiting for Alexis and for her things to be delivered, verifying that she indeed was moving back home. By noon, she was considering that letting him drive himself crazy alone might have been a better idea, but she couldn't help loving the fact that he was so anxious to have his child return to the loft. So many parents couldn't wait to get them out of the house to stay, which is the eventual goal, independence being an important part of life. However, her future husband's dedication to his daughter was one of the things she loved most about him, and they knew Alexis was feeling vulnerable at the moment.

So she would take him to Remy's for lunch and get him out of everybody else's hair for a little while. The movers wouldn't get to Alexis until around four, which meant there was loading time once they were there…and then getting to the storage unit and the loft through heavy, slow moving afternoon traffic. Beckett rolled her eyes. It was going to be a long afternoon.

"Come on, Babe. I'm taking you to lunch before Gates kicks you out. She's already asked what has you so fidgety today, and she understands; but I've been instructed to keep you to myself or send you home," she said with a grin.

"You make me sound like a puppy," he grumbled, but he was glad to get out of the confined space for a while.

As they sat at Remy's at one of the tables in the back corner, he apologized for being such a distraction. "I'm just excited about having my daughter back home. And knowing you had to talk her through a breakdown, temporary or not, makes me want to have her close to us even more."

"I know. I'm glad she'll be home for a while, too. By the time school starts again this fall, both of you will feel better, and she can decide whether she wants to move back to campus or not. And once we get her settled back in, we can work on wedding plans and get all that settled. If we can just find a venue, the planner you called can help us from there, and that will ease some concerns, too.

"I know you said you'd rather not use it; but if all else fails, there's a beautiful stretch of lawn and beach in the Hamptons that's available any time we want it."

Kate looked down at the table, willing away the tears that threatened. She hadn't told Rick why she didn't want their wedding at the house, but she felt strongly about it. She knew he'd understand; it was just that, under the circumstances, she felt foolish. It would certainly make it easier to have the wedding there…go ahead and set a date and put their plans in motion, but she didn't even want to think about it.

"Kate? What is it?" He reached for her hand and asked, "Does it have something to do with the house in the Hamptons?"

"Only for our wedding," she answered softly. "When we need to find a venue this fast, it's stupid of me; but I can't help it."

"Can't help what?" he asked.

"The jealousy," she almost whispered, feeling much more like a teen-ager than the big, bad detective she needed to be when they returned to the precinct.

She could see when it dawned on him.

"Other wives…other women?" he asked, and she nodded without looking up at him. He wrapped her hand more firmly in his. "I should have thought of that. Except for that little while during your first visit, it didn't seem to bother you. I didn't think…"

"I told you, it's stu…"

"It isn't stupid. I won't bring it up again. We'll find something."

Finally looking up at him, she said, "The rest of the time, it's fine; but I don't want to look around on our wedding day and imagine any of the other women you've been with. It's why I didn't want to invite Gina or Meredith or Paula."

"Or Paula?" he gulped in surprise.

"The Heat Wave book launch party. She isn't exactly subtle when she's angry, and I'm a cop…you know, used to tuning in on altercations. I heard her telling you to get me out of your system…and most of the rest."

"I'm sorry, Kate." He took a deep breath and released it, running his other hand through his hair as he did. "I can't change the past, but I can promise that the future is entirely for you."

"I know that. And I have a past, too, but I don't want to see our past that day…I want that one day to be just us and our future," she said. "As foolish as it sounds…"

"It isn't foolish. Do you think I'd want to see even hints of Will…or Schlemming…or Dr. Motorcycle Boy on the day I marry you?" He shuddered for effect. "It's your only wedding…at least I'm planning on that…and my last one. Whatever you want is what we'll have. All I want out of this wedding is to be married to you."

The waitress delivered their food just after Kate had looked her fiancé in the eye and said appreciatively, "I love you, Partner."

Castle smiled at that. "I scheduled a meeting with the event planner on Wednesday after work. Is six okay with you? I checked our calendar, and it didn't look like you had anything planned. There are meetings that afternoon to finalize everything for publishing and for the book launch this summer, and it gives you an hour to get there. We can meet for dinner not far from the Black Pawn offices.

"Unless a case sinks its teeth into me, that should work.

"The first meeting usually involves answering a lot of questions, so a dinner meeting should work this time."

"This isn't somebody you've ever…" Kate asked, self-consciously, giving him a small, teasing smile, still hating to admit jealousy, but still not able to help it.

Castle smiled back. "His name is Joseph, so no. Not a chance. I specifically asked for Joseph so you wouldn't have wonder." Giving her hand a little squeeze, he added, "Because I love you, too, Partner."

They finished their meal and walked back to the precinct hand in hand, separating when they reached the building.

"I know I'm driving you crazy. I think I'll hail a cab and go home," Castle told her. "Your paperwork will go a lot faster if I'm not distracting you, and maybe you can get out earlier; so I'll see you at home," he said, placing a little peck on her cheek."

"Love you," she said softly before returning to work, touching his arm as he walked out to hail a cab.

xxxxx

To occupy his time while he waited, Castle looked online for wedding venues for a while. He wanted to give Kate a wedding that would make her glow with happiness every time she thought about it…and he didn't want his exes there, either. They reminded him of failures. When he looked at Kate, he saw hope for a beautiful future, and that's all he wanted either of them to see on their wedding day. One way or another, he knew it would be his last marriage. If he couldn't make it work with Kate, he'd never be able to make it work with anybody. He did want to browse for venues; but between periodically daydreaming about Kate walking down the aisle toward him, and checking his watch to see how soon his daughter and the movers should appear, he wasn't accomplishing much.

He thought he might write something…jot down a few ideas that had wandered through his head before he forgot them, but that didn't last long, either. He got the basic ideas down and saved them, but he wasn't focused enough to do anything with them. Maybe Kate was right to ask him how he was holding out. Apparently, not as well as he thought. The end of the week should be better, he promised himself. Between Kate, the event planner, and himself, they would track down a venue, he could stop worrying about Alexis, and summer plans for the book would be a done. He had told Gina and Paula that he didn't intend to discuss anything more about the September book tour until after the wedding plans were more stable. They didn't like it, but they knew when Richard Castle, whose work made for an excellent addition to their paychecks, made demands that strongly, it was best to take a step back and work with him.

He got up and made coffee. Productivity wasn't at a high point at the moment, so he decided a video game might be a good idea…a good distraction. That was where Alexis found him when she got home around six-thirty…on the sofa with the game controller, his avatar running full throttle through a battlefield on the screen.

"Alexis!" He jumped up from the couch, when he heard the door open, dropped the controller on the cushions, and went to envelop her in an excited, fatherly bear hug. "You're home!"

She wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed just as tight, enjoying the feeling of being that well-loved. "Hi, Dad," she said, her smile crushed against his chest.

"I'm so glad you're back home."

"Me, too."

"Are the movers right behind you?" he asked, leaning away from her just far enough to be able to look at her when he asked.

"The super showed them to the storage area to leave a few things there. We've already been to the storage unit you rented, and they should be here with the rest in ten minutes or so."

"Did you get everything you wanted from the apartment?"

"Yeah. I called Pi to see if he needed anything I wasn't taking with me and had the movers drop off the things he wanted. And I let the landlord see the rest to see if he wanted me to leave the few pieces of furniture still there." She stopped and laughed. "He said to leave everything else, but said I could put that sofa back on the street."

"Ah yes," Castle answered." The man eating sofa. I wasn't sure Mother was going to get back up from that thing on her own."

The door opened again, and Castle grinned at his daughter. "Speak of the devil…"

"Watch your mouth, Richard," Martha scolded before taking Alexis out of Castle's embrace and into her own. "Welcome home, darling."

"Thanks, Grams."

"Have you already moved in?"

"Not yet. The movers should be here any minute with the last of the boxes."

"Let me know if I can do anything to help you get settled."

"I will. Is Kate home yet?" she asked.

"No," Castle answered. "I was hoping she could be here, but they caught a new case not long after I left, and they're still interviewing witnesses. She said she probably wouldn't be here until about nine."

Alexis nodded her understanding but looked a bit disappointed.

"How did your test go this morning?" he asked.

"Great," she responded. "No problem."

Before he could ask more, there was a knock at the door, and Castle opened it for the movers.

"Where to?" one of them asked with a pleasant smile.

"Alexis, do you want to do the honors?" her father asked. "Does all of this go to your room?"

"Yeah." Turning to the men at the door, she said, "Follow me. It's upstairs. Sorry."

"Not a problem," the second man assured her.

Alexis went bounding up the stairs while the movers went back for the boxes they had already moved to the hallway outside the apartment door. Martha followed Alexis at a more sedate pace to see if she could do anything to help.

The movers each carried one of the lighter boxes to Alexis' room and took stock of the lay of the land before moving the heavier ones.

As they came down the stairs to go back out for more, one of them smiled good-naturedly at Castle and said, "Nice kid you got there. Quite a little organizer, isn't she?"

"Always has been," he agreed. "I understand she's had you pretty busy this afternoon."

"Not too bad, though," the other man answered. "We definitely had our marching orders, but she made it easy. Everything was on paper…she planned the best route to get it done fast, addresses and phone numbers in case there was a problem, who to contact for what…had everything lined up beside the door...everything we could possibly need. Easiest busy afternoon we've had in a while."

Castle smiled proudly. "Yep. That's my girl. Hey, I'm about to order pizza. What do you like?"

"Really?" the younger man asked; and when Castle answered in the affirmative, he unashamedly responded, "Extra cheese and lots of pepperoni."

"This one never passes on free food," the older man said, swatting the younger one on the arm.

"Extra cheese and pepperoni work for you, too?" Castle asked, chuckling.

"Sure. I told my wife I'd be late…not to worry about dinner. Thanks."

They carried up another couple of boxes each, then came back and geared up to take the two large boxes of books up the stairs before going down to the truck to get the work order for Castle's signature. The pizza delivery was right on their heels.

As Castle signed their form, he asked, "Would you like to eat here or take it with you?"

"Nah, we'll take it with us and leave you to get your girl settled in."

After pulling cash from his pocket to pay for the pizza and giving the movers a good tip, Castle said, "Thanks for helping us out."

"The boss said he'd send you the bill next week," the older man told him.

"He told us to take good care of you," the younger one added..

"Tony and I go way back," Castle answered. "Tell him I appreciate it."

"Will do. Thanks for the pizza," he answered as he collected their welcome but unexpected dinner and turned to go.

Castle held up a hand in parting as they left, then went to the bottom of the stairs and called, "Pizza's here."

Two redheads appeared at the top of the stairs saying they were famished, and went straight to the kitchen.

Kate managed to get home earlier than she had expected and let herself in about the time everyone else had eaten enough to be just at the edge of uncomfortably stuffed.

"Did you save some for me?" she asked, holding her arms out as she walked toward Alexis.

"Not as much as we should have," Alexis laughed and met Kate halfway to give her a hug.

"How was your test?" Kate whispered close to her nearly step-daughter's ear.

"Negative like we thought," Alexis whispered back. "Thanks for calling Dr. Parrish. She was so understanding."

"Whew!" Kate hugged her hard.

"I know."

Holding her shoulders, Kate moved the girl to arm's length. "Welcome home. Are you okay with me saying that, too? I know you've already heard it from other sources who are actual family."

"I'm _really_ good with that, Kate, but thanks for caring enough to ask. Come on, you must be hungry…even if we aren't now…at all."

Kate sat with them and had a couple of slices of pizza as they all relaxed.

"I like having four in the household," Martha observed. "It feels right. Don't you think so, Alexis?"

"Don't put her on the spot, Martha. She just got home," Kate interrupted.

Castle was about as silent as he could be, watching the interaction between the women in his family. Whatever happened between Kate and Alexis a few days ago seemed to have erased any doubts his daughter may have had about his fiancé, and he couldn't be happier about it. They were talking and teasing one another at the moment, and he noticed that his mother was watching thoughtfully, too…and smiling.

He let them enjoy their easy exchange and stood to put the dishes in the dishwasher, and Martha got up to join him as the other two women talked. "I think your dreams might be coming true, Richard" she whispered.

"That seems to be happening more often lately," he answered softly. "Sometimes I'm afraid I'll wake up and find out it was all a dream…but it feels real, doesn't it?" he asked as he slipped an arm around his mother's waist.

"Yes, it does," she answered, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Yes it does."

"Any big productions in the works for my birthday this year?" he asked mischievously.

"As much as we all enjoyed giving you your murder party last year, I think that kind of energy will be saved for my students from now on. In case you haven't noticed, your mother isn't getting any younger."

"Not touching an answer to that one."

"Wise decision," she responded, elbowing him in the ribs.

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "If those two don't do anything more for my birthday than what I see right now, it's more than enough. This marriage can't happen soon enough for me, Mother. I need Kate to be part of our family…legally, officially...permanently."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Alexis and Kate were up early the morning of Castle's birthday, busying around the kitchen like breakfast elves. They were trying to put together one of Johanna Beckett's breakfast buffets before the he woke up, so they were trying to be quiet. Now and then one of them would drop or bump something, and they would both come to a stand-still waiting to see if it woke Castle up, then giggle in relief when they realized it didn't. There was a lot of food waiting in the warming drawer, and the pancake batter was ready for the griddle.

"Is it time to start the coffee?" Alexis asked.

"I think it's okay if it wakes him up now. Go ahead and start it," Kate told her. "Then you can go and get Martha, and your dad. I'll take care of scrambled eggs and pancakes."

Alexis went upstairs to let her grandmother know breakfast was almost ready and was back downstairs aiming herself toward her Dad's room when Kate stopped her.

"Uuummmmm…wait a minute. Maybe you should take over the eggs and watch the pancakes and let me get your dad."

"I don't want to know, do I?"

"Probably not."

"Not asking, then. I'll take over the eggs."

"Thanks," Kate answered with a grin. "Be right back."

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee was beginning to waft through the loft when Kate entered the bedroom. She smiled and thought extremely ill-timed thoughts as she took in the sight of her gloriously naked fiancé tangled in the sheets, body parts hanging out here and there. Taking a deep breath and forcing herself to remember breakfast and the presence of his daughter not far away, she walked to his side of the bed and leaned over to kiss his cheek before saying, "Happy birthday, Rick."

"Mmmmff," was his answer, and then he mumbled, "Do I smell coffee? Why are you already dressed…and not still in bed? It's my birthday," he complained. "You should still be in bed…and naked." At that, he pulled her down over him and wasn't letting go.

She laughed and pushed away as he pouted. "Your daughter is in the kitchen. We couldn't do what you want to right now, anyway. And we've made you a birthday breakfast buffet, complete with happy face pancakes. You can pick your favorites, so get your pajamas on and get in the kitchen. Your mother should be down in a minute or two."

"Ooookay," he whined…but I'd still rather have you in here with me…naked."

She rolled over to her side of the bed and escaped before he could grab her again. "Jammies," she insisted. "We'll be waiting for you."

He dragged himself out of bed, found his pajamas on the floor and put them on, then wandered out to the kitchen, ruffling his fingers through his hair to do what minor repair he could to his bed head.

"Happy birthday, Dad."

"Thanks, honey," he answered, taking the coffee she held out for him. "Did I hear something about happy face pancakes?"

"On the table, darling," his mother assured him, "along with every other breakfast item in the kitchen, it seems. The table is full," she announced dramatically. Indicating Kate and Alexis, she added, "These two whirlwinds have been up since the crack of dawn, collaborating to feed us like royalty; so sit down and let's take advantage."

"Yes ma'am," he agreed, sitting down and appreciating the efforts that went into the breakfast project. "Ladies, you've outdone yourselves, he proclaimed, reaching for some bacon to go with the pancake on his plate. "It all looks delicious."

"Nothing but the best for the Richard Castle's birthday, right, Alexis?"

"Absolutely."

After breakfast, Kate went to the study and came back out with her gun and shield.

"You're going to work? It's late. I thought you must have taken the day off," Castle said in surprise.

"I arranged to go in an hour late. I'm leaving you here to spend time with your daughter. The two of you have some catching up to do." She walked to the sofa and picked up a colorfully wrapped package. "Part of your birthday present," she said as she handed it to him.

He turned in his chair and opened the box to find not one, but two light sabers, and he laughed. "You're amazing. _Two_ light sabers? Does this mean you're going to duel with me sometime?"

"Maybe," she said mischievously. "For today it means you might talk Alexis into entertaining you with a birthday duel."

"We haven't done that in a long time. It might be fun," his daughter answered. "I don't have a class today until two…and only two classes, so I won't be gone very long."

I thought maybe you could come in for a little while this afternoon, Castle…help us take a look at the new case. And the boys wanted to buy you a drink after work. They thought they'd take you to that little cop bar down the street from the precinct. They know Alexis just got home, so they don't expect us to stay for too long."

"Sounds great."

She gave him a slightly lingering but daughter appropriate kiss, followed by a quick little extra one before she told him, "Gotta go. The boys will give me a hard time if I'm even later than I said I'd be.

He stood to walk Kate to the door, and that was the first time he noticed the moving boxes next to the entrance."

"I know all those boxes were upstairs yesterday." Turning back toward the kitchen, he asked, "Alexis, did they deliver the wrong boxes upstairs last night? Do these need to go downstairs to the storage room?"

"Those aren't mine, Dad. I have all those in my room."

"Then where did these come from? They have our address on them." He looked thoroughly confused.

"Those are mine," Kate said a bit shyly. "I assume the offer is still open?"

"Offer?" After a moment of thought on his part, it was obvious when it hit him.

Martha guided Alexis to help her clear the table in an effort to give the fiancés at least a modicum of privacy before Kate left for work.

Looking cautiously excited, Castle clarified, "Kate? These are from your apartment?"

"There's nothing left there now but the furniture. We have a lot going on right now. I thought we could decide what to do with the furniture and the apartment after the wedding. The movers picked everything up just before they went to Alexis' apartment yesterday; so some of it is in the storage unit, a couple of boxes are down in the storage room, and I made it worth your super's while to deliver these here early this morning. These are the things I'd like to find a place for here in the loft. So this is my home now. I even filed a change of address at the post office…and with Gates. You wanted your family intact…all in one place, I was really already living here anyway, and the apartment didn't have much appeal anymore." She reached up and ran her fingers across his cheek, saying, "Home needs _you_ in it."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a slightly less than daughter appropriate embrace, kissing her the same way; but she didn't let it last too long, moving back and resting her forehead against his.

"If we don't stop now, we'll have to explain to the other occupants of the loft why I'm dragging you back to your room…or worse, _not_ need to explain," she whispered.

"Ours," he reminded her quietly. "Our room. This is your home now. _Our_ room, _our_ kitchen, _our_ everything." Then he joyously lifted her off the ground and spun them around before putting her back down on the floor.

"The other two occupants over there…I assume they already know?" he asked.

"It's a three woman house now, Castle. There _will_ be conspiring." She kissed him once more and whispered close to his ear, "And that birthday treat you wanted earlier? We'll get to that tonight…anything you want."

He growled very softly against her neck. "You should leave now before my body embarrasses me in front of my mother and daughter," he whispered.

She laughed and pulled away from him, saying, "I'm leaving now, birthday boy." Waving at Martha and Alexis, she told all of them, "See you tonight." Then she left a happy Castle behind her.

He turned to the other two women after the door closed behind Kate and said with a big smile, "So far I'm loving your birthday conspiracies."

xxxxx

After spending the morning with his mother and daughter, Castle dropped Alexis off at school to meet Sarah before class, and he arrived at the precinct around one-thirty. Ryan and Esposito wished him a happy birthday, and Beckett brought him coffee, delivered with a smile that nearly melted his resolve to act professional at the precinct.

The team showed him what they had so far, and he asked a couple of questions that gave them a new perspective on two of the witnesses, at least one of whom didn't look nearly as innocent and helpful after even a limited background check.

"Good call, bro'," Esposito said. "I knew there was some reason we kept you around."

The boys went back to look more deeply into the witnesses' backgrounds, and Castle and Beckett added to the murder board and theorized from the new angle of the possible involvement of a couple of witnesses. Later in the day, Lanie called with new information about the victim, so they were busy most of the afternoon.

At five, the boys insisted that that they leave and walk down the block to the bar. The bar was one that was frequented by members of the twelfth, most of whom were at least acquainted with Castle, and most of whom had come to respect what he brought to the precinct and how he worked with Beckett's team. The manager and bartender were tending bar for the rush hour crowd, with a couple of waitresses staying busy with orders.

As they entered the bar, Ryan shouted loud enough for the bartender to hear, "We need some beers over here," and pointed toward an empty booth.

Esposito then announced loud enough for everyone in the bar to hear. "That's right. It's our man's birthday." He patted Castle on the back to allow no confusion about which man he meant.

A chorus of "Castle!" "Happy Birthday!" "Congratulations!" and similar sounds went up around the room, and Castle smiled and held a hand up in response before he sat down to join the team who had adopted him. The boys treated him to a couple of drinks, and they joked around for a while before the manager rolled over a cart with a sheet cake big enough to feed the entire population of the bar. The sentiment across the top said "Honorary Cop." Across the bottom was "Happy Birthday," and in the middle was a shield with "writer" in the same white block letters as those on his vest, placed where a badge number would usually be. Someone asked where the candles were, and Castle laughed and asked if somebody from robbery could look into the theft; then he said that, on second thought, he didn't want to see that many candles on his cake anyway. The manager served the cake to the team first, then to anybody who wanted some; and as others came by to pick up a plate, many of them stopped to say something to Castle, punch his shoulder, bump fists…in general, give some sign of camaraderie.

Beckett watched, looking proud that most of her colleagues now accepted her unofficial partner so completely.

When the activity around the table subsided, and the manager had parked the cart where people could come and serve themselves from what was left of the cake, Beckett started gathering her coat and keys and announced, "This was great, guys, but we need to get home. Alexis just moved back home yesterday, and she's expecting some family time with her dad."

Castle stood so Beckett could get out of the booth and moved to shake hands with Ryan and Esposito.

"Thanks for all this. You've added to an already awesome birthday."

"Not as big as last year, Espo said, but we passed the word around the precinct and got a lot of takers to come and show you a little respect.

"Beckett surprised me this morning, too."

"Hey, dude, we don't need to know that stuff, okay?" Ryan protested.

Castle laughed. "No, not that. Actually, she and Alexis got up early and made a big breakfast. The surprise was that she moved everything out of her apartment, changed her address, and everything. I know she was always there before, but this is…"

"What you wanted all this time?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah."

Beckett hooked her arm through his and looked at Castle lovingly.

"We're really happy for you, man…both of you," Esposito said in one of his rare sentimental moments.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Beckett told them. "We'll send somebody to pick those witnesses up first thing in the morning.

"Sounds good, boss," Espo agreed. "See you tomorrow."

Xxxxx

After a light dinner, Castle and his houseful of women moved to the living room and talked for a while. Alexis waited when the subject of the wedding came up, then, when an opening came up concerning the venue, she jumped in.

"Dad told me this morning why the two of you aren't considering having the wedding at the house in the Hamptons. Is everything in the Hamptons out, or just the house?" she asked hesitantly.

Her father took the question, and Kate knew he did it so she wouldn't have to sound as self-conscious as she did at lunch the day before. "The house and anywhere else there's a connection to an ex-spouse."

"Or an ex-flame?" Martha questioned drily.

Kate looked down, feeling uncomfortable, suddenly finding her fingernails very interesting.

"Darling, don't you even think of feeling bad for wanting to avoid those places. No woman wants the memory of an ex rearing its ugly head at her wedding. I suspect that Richard doesn't want that any more than you do."

Castle took a minute to let Kate know what he had been thinking the day before…about exes bringing thoughts of failures as opposed to thoughts of Kate conjuring up a wonderful future, and she reached over to hold his hand as she said to his daughter, "What they said, Alexis," Kate answered a bit more confidently.

"Dad, do you remember stopping for a flea market at a little, historic church on the way to the beach? I must have been about twelve. We asked if we could see the church, and they said the sanctuary was open. It was a little, old-fashioned white wooden church with gorgeous stained glass on both sides of the sanctuary. I've seen several old churches in the Hamptons. We always pass them between here and the house, and there are bound to be more. Can you get married in places like that without being a member of the church?"

Castle and Beckett looked at each other with expressions somewhere between "good idea" and "Why didn't we think of that?"

"It probably depends on the individual church," Castle told her.

"We can probably find it online," Kate said, intrigued.

"Probably," Alexis answered.

"Well, fire up that laptop," Martha demanded of the youngest member of the group. "We need to find these two a place to get married. A place that makes them both happy. Do you remember the name of the church?"

"I was twelve, Grams," she reminded her grandmother. "But if I see the name, I might recognize it."

"Oh…or maybe there's a quaint little bed and breakfast with a nice lawn or a big, gorgeous wrap-around front porch, or an ocean view."

"Or a smallish event center. Mom and Gina would hardly know those places were on the map, let alone plan anything there. And we know they wouldn't think of a church smaller than a cathedral."

Kate, watching as the ideas were passing back and forth between grandmother and granddaughter, looked over at Castle in astonishment at how many ideas they hadn't thought of since paring down their guest list. Smaller group, smaller venue? "I love your family," she said with a grin. "Let's go get our laptops."

Everyone came back with their computers, Martha and Alexis settling side-by-side at the dining table and Kate and Castle at the breakfast bar.

"You two take churches," Castle suggested. "I'll take bed and breakfasts, and Kate can look for places that cater to small events."

"No," Kate answered, closing her laptop. "Let's not even consider commercial event places. Too sterile. "I like the idea of a small, old church or a postcard looking bed and breakfast."

"I like that, too. It sounds like a place for family and good friends," Castle said, leaning to kiss her temple. "I have the feeling we're about to find something."

"Something different. This is exciting," Martha said, all but clapping her hands.

"Good call, Alexis," Kate said.

"I'm not trying to shove myself into your wedding planning, Kate, but I'll help if you want me to."

"Of course I want you to…another reason I'm glad you're back. It's going to be easier having you here so we can talk about it. Oh, and we're going to need at least one girl's day to find dresses for you and Lanie and Martha."

"Did you hear that, darling?" Martha asked, looking at Alexis. "A shopping trip. I'm in. Are you?"

Alexis beamed. "Me, too." Then, looking back to her computer, she said enthusiastically, "Aha! A list of churches"

"Are there pictures," Martha asked.

As those two researched churches, Castle and Kate were smiling at their eager red-haired pair and taking their own look at a long list of bed and breakfasts, suddenly feeling energized by the new ideas.

"We wanted a spring wedding," Castle observed. "Being out of the city might make it easier. If we look for May, before Memorial Day, which is when everything at the Hamptons becomes all about the summer madness, we'll have a better chance of finding a place with an opening in the schedule. We'd have the advantage of nice weather as well as the lack of tourists. How do you feel about going to the Hamptons this weekend...take a look around?"

"Joseph will be so thrilled to know he only has until May," Kate said sarcastically. "Poor man."

"For what I'm paying him, he won't complain. We'll show him the places we're interested in when we have dinner on Thursday. Maybe he can go and look around before we get there. Start narrowing the possibilities. Or maybe he knows of other similar places."

"I'm even more excited, now," Kate said, her eyes sparkling.

"Me, too. I like seeing you this excited about marrying me."

Castle gave her a slow, gentle kiss, and she couldn't keep herself from imagining how many of those easy, we're-never-going-to-want-to-do-this-with-anybody-else-for-the-rest-of-our-lives kisses the two of them would have in their lifetime. Her stomach had butterflies just thinking about the possibilities of never having to be without him. He had turned her into such a girl…and she loved it.

"Here it is, Dad," they heard, and Alexis came to them with her computer and put it on the counter in front of them. The original part of the church had been built in the last decade of the eighteen hundreds. That's where services were still held, and it was arranged perfectly for a small wedding party. There was one picture that showed the light shining through the stained glass windows across the old wooden pews.

"It's beautiful," Kate said softly. "Thank you, Alexis." She said, putting an arm around the girl's waist. "I'm so glad you thought of this. I love the idea."

"I love the idea, too," she answered putting her arms around Kate's shoulders and clasping her hands on the shoulder opposite where she stood. "It looks like the kind of place for your kind of wedding."

"What do you see as 'our kind of wedding'?" Kate asked, curious about the girl's thoughts.

"The kind where you're doing it because you love each other and want to include your family and friends in the commitment…not the kind where you want as many people as possible to see how gorgeous you can both look and how fancy you can make your wedding, knowing you can always get a divorce if it doesn't work."

"You don't doubt me anymore?"

"No."

"You're that certain?" Kate asked, surprised at the strength of the answer.

Alexis nodded, and Kate pulled her closer for a hug, feeling Castle's arm stretch around her shoulder to reach for Alexis, too. He kissed the back of Kate's head and lifted one of Alexis' hands to kiss it.

Looking over to the lone figure at the dining table, he included her in his happiness by saying, "Dreams coming true, Mother." Resting his head on Kate's, he planted another kiss there and repeated, "Dreams coming true."

After allowing herself a long moment to enjoy the fact that she had earned this much of their trust, Kate asked, "Are there more pictures…other churches?"

"Grams and I will find some more. I just thought I'd show you the one I remembered. It was old and traditional, and it had a peaceful feel about it. Dad and I sat down and just soaked it in for a few minutes before we left."

The next hour was spent in online searching and the two pairs of searchers comparing notes and sharing pictures of the places they really liked. Well before the end of the hour, the two fiancés had migrated to the other side of the dining table where it was easier to simply turn the laptops around for opinions, questions, emphatic "I don't think so's," etc. All of them were enjoying the hunt, and knowing Castle as she did, Kate thought it was a nice end of family time for his birthday. He felt loved from all sides, he could see her feeling loved and accepted the same way, and his family was helping him find a place for all of them to commit to that for life.

When their eyes were all crossed, Martha said, "Alexis and I got you a birthday cheesecake; but since the twelfth pitched in on a birthday cake, let's save it for tomorrow. I need my beauty rest."

"I'm tired, too," Alexis chimed in. "It's been a long week, and I have early classes again tomorrow." Closing her laptop, she smiled. "This was fun."

"Yes, it was," Castle agreed, and Kate nodded, smiling her agreement.

"Come on, Kiddo. Let's get some sleep. Maybe we can help them narrow down the list tomorrow night.

Alexis picked up her laptop, Martha draped her arm around her granddaughter, they called their goodnights over their shoulders, and then climbed the stairs together.

"That really was fun," Kate said, leaning her head on Castle's shoulder. "It's the first time I've felt this relaxed while the word 'venue' was being bandied about," she chuckled. Looking more serious, she added, "I'm sorry about the first one. If I had agreed to that one when we had the chance, we might have most of the planning done by now."

"I'm not sorry," Castle said, indulging in a few nipping little kisses on the side of her neck. "You looked so happy seeing the places we found tonight…and it feels right. Cordova House was beautiful, but now that we have a guest list that's just for us, we don't need that much space., Besides, now that we've looked at the Hamptons, Cordova House looks more like the kind of place for that second kind of wedding Alexis described. We don't want one of those, anyway. At least one of the places we saw tonight has to have an available weekend. If it's on a Saturday in the Hamptons, we can rent hotel space and provide our friends a nice extra day at the beach, unencumbered by tourists…which has the added benefit of keeping them happily occupied while we enjoy our wedding night and sneak off on our honeymoon."

After another kiss, he took her hand and reminded her, "Speaking of honeymoon activity, someone promised me another birthday treat tonight." Pulling her into the study, he closed the door behind them and asked, "Did you really mean _anything_?"

Looking into his eyes, she wondered how they could look so full of blatant lust and so mischievous at the same time. Then she decided she didn't care how, she would simply enjoy that he was capable of such things; and she reversed their positions and pulled him into _their_ bedroom, asking, "Am I going to need a safe word?" and being grabbed in response. "Happy Birthday, Castle," was lost in a kiss that was a fine precursor to his requests for the promised "anything you want."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"'Morning, Ryan," Kate called toward his desk.

"Where's your partner?" Castle asked.

"Right behind you," Espo said, leaving the break room with his coffee. "Good birthday with Little Castle?"

"Yeah…and Kate and my mother. It was great. We had a good family night. Anything going on with the case?"

"We were waiting for Beckett to get here before we did anything. We're going to bring in those witnesses again, right?"

Sitting down at her desk and turning on her computer, she affirmed, "That looks like the best next step to me. I'll call down and see who's available to pick them up; talking to them here might make more of an impression. We should talk to their neighbors and the people they work with, too…see if any of them may have seen or heard anything relevant to the murder…look for business connections, personal problems, mutual friends, problematic relationships…"

"Lab results on that residue on the victim's personal belongings should be back soon. Maybe that will give us a connection," Ryan said.

"We can hope," she answered, picking up her phone and calling the desk sergeant. Looking over at Castle when she hung up, she said, "There was a little of my report unfinished when we left yesterday. I'm going to finish that up while we're waiting for something to happen."

"Okay," he answered. "Coffee?"

"That would be great."

"I think I'll make a run to the coffee shop this time…see if the boys want something, too. That way you get a break from my creepy staring." Taking a quick look around and finding almost everyone else with their noses in their work, he quickly kissed Beckett on the head before he left; but turning to go, he saw Gates coming from the direction of the elevator.

"I saw that," she said sternly.

"Sorry. A momentary, and I might point out, very small lapse."

"You and Detective Beckett have handled your relationship professionally so far. Just keep the lapses to a minimum."

"Yes, Sir." He paused for a brief moment, then offered, "I'm about to make a coffee shop run. Can I bring you something?"

"If you don't mind. I usually bring my own, but I didn't have time to stop this morning."

He described what she usually drank, and asked if that would be her order.

"How did you know that?" she asked, appearing surprised.

"I'm a mystery writer/slash/honorary detective. I notice things," he grinned.

I take it you liked your cake."

"Pictures are in my phone to preserve it for posterity."

appointing a finger at him, she warned, "Don't let it go to your head." Then, looking less stern, she added, "A belated happy birthday, Mr. Castle. Sorry I couldn't make it. I had a meeting and couldn't get back in time."

"Given our history, it's enough that you _wanted_ to," he answered. "I'll check with Ryan and Esposito and be back with caffeine for all of us soon."

The captain watched him leave and couldn't keep a little smile from twitching at the corner of her lips.

"Thank you, Captain," Kate said quietly enough Castle wouldn't hear.

"For what?" Gates asked in a like manner and moved closer to Beckett.

"For acknowledging him as part of us…even though we all know it isn't entirely official. It means a lot to him, so it means a lot to me."

"You're about to marry a good man, Kate. Regardless of how we began, I've developed a healthy respect for Mr. Castle. I believe I might actually miss him if he were gone." Leaning toward Beckett's desk with a conspiratorial twinkle in her eyes and looking over the top of her glasses at her detective, she amended her comment. "Of course, if you tell him that, you'll be leaving me in the position of trying to hide a homicide." She pointed the same warning finger at Beckett, raised an eyebrow, and smirked as she went back to her office.

Beckett laughed softly, not feeling the least bit threatened, and settled in to complete as much of her report as possible before Castle got back.

By late that afternoon, they had split into two teams and talked with enough family members, neighbors, colleagues, and acquaintances of the two questionable witnesses that…assuming the residue turned out to be what they suspected…they could charge one man with the murder, and have enough to at minimum show the other one to be complicit.

"I LOVE stupid criminals!" Esposito shouted when the lab report arrived just before their shift was over, confirming their suspicions; and he and Ryan did their entire fist bump routine.

"Good new, boys?" Beckett asked, amused at the show.

"Check your email. We got the lab report," Ryan told her. "This one's done except for the paperwork. Once we were looking in his direction, this guy all but arrested himself for us."

Castle put one hand on the back of Beckett's chair and the other on the edge of her desk, looking over her shoulder at the monitor to read the lab report, and they both smiled. "Good call on those witnesses, Babe," she said as they both stood, and she had to make a conscious effort not to kiss him.

"We'll get to that later," Castle said with a grin and a quick eyebrow wiggle.

Reaching to turn off her computer, Beckett shot back, "Shut up, Castle," but she didn't look at all like her heart was in it.

Agreeing that they had done a good day's work, the team decided they had good notes and excellent memories, and the reports could wait until the next morning.

xxxxx

When they arrived at home, Castle and Beckett sat in the car for a few minutes, catching up on that missed kiss…and a few others, and unwinding before going up to the loft.

"It's always nice to get back here," Kate said, taking his hand where it rested just above his knee and leaning her head back against the headrest. "It's like wherever we park the car is the dividing line between home and the precinct…our two lives."

"The line between Kate and Beckett?" he asked.

"Something like that."

"We haven't talked about that yet…Kate and Beckett…and Castle. What do you intend to do about your name after we're married?"

"How disappointed would you be if this was the dividing line for that, too?" she asked, then she looked at him as if willing him to understand. "It took years for me to establish myself as Detective Beckett…it's the identity I've built at NYPD, and I'm proud of what I've built; but it took just as many years for me to trust myself to love a man enough to want to call myself by his name, and I'm proud of us, too. We both had to fight some past baggage. I still want to go by Beckett for the job; but legally, I want to be Mrs. Castle."

"One more thing we don't have to discuss," Castle answered, smiling, and raised their joined hands to kiss hers.

"You're okay with that?"

"You just said you want to legally take my name. You worked hard for Detective Beckett; so you can have her at work, and I can have Kate Castle everywhere else. I'm okay with that. If you were Castle for work, too, I might even miss hearing that sharp, crisp 'Beckett' when you answer your phone. It's kind of hot."

She smiled broadly and kissed him soundly, then said, "Come on, Writer-man. Let's go home."

"Right behind you, Castle," he answered as they walked to the elevator.

"I'm not Castle yet," she reminded him.

"Just trying it out. I like it."

"Me, too," she said with another big smile, "but you see how that could get confusing at work, don't you?"

"Doesn't work like 'Beckett' for the job, anyway. Beckett has that little extra consonant bite to the sound…b, k, t; it's a good detective name…like Nikki Heat. And I think your dad will like your choice."

As the elevator doors closed, Kate threw herself at him and kissed him nearly senseless. He was surprised at first and laughed as she attacked, but quickly fell into the nature of the kiss with her. Luck allowed them a lack of other passengers on the way up, and they laughed at themselves as they got out on their floor.

"You'd think we're the college kids instead of Alexis," Kate said, straightening her clothes.

Castle tucked in the parts of his shirttail that were stretched farther out of his pants than was presentable. "How do we look?" he asked with a satisfied grin.

"The clothes look fine, but the lips might give us away. Maybe we should stay out here and kill some time kissing gently until we're looking less obvious?"

"Good plan," he agreed, putting his arms around her waist. Gentle, huh?

"Yeah. Think you can manage that?"

"Detective, you wound me," he said dramatically. "And if memory serves, I was manhandled into that kissing duel we just had."

Very gently, he started with her forehead while she kissed his cheek. They covered faces and necks, coming back to lips periodically until they had calmed themselves and knew their family would see them simply looking as much in love with each other as they were.

When they entered the apartment, they found the rest of the family looking at Alexis' laptop at the dining room table again, rechecking the churches they had bookmarked the night before.

"Hi," Alexis called cheerily. "We couldn't help looking again. It's exciting that we might be getting close to actually seeing this wedding happen."

"We should probably do the same thing with our list," Kate answered.

"I was thinking," Alexis said hesitantly. "I don't have classes until afternoon again tomorrow…nothing pressing to do. Since you have to meet Joseph tomorrow night, and I have the whole morning free, I could call the places we bookmarked and see which ones have an open date on a weekend in May. That would narrow down the list you need to give him, and we'd know which ones we don't need to look at this weekend."

"You've been saving that up all afternoon just waiting for all of us to be home, haven't you?" Castle asked with a smile.

Seeing Alexis looking a little uncertain, Kate said, "If you have time, I'd love to start narrowing the list; and it makes me feel _so_ good that you're excited about seeing me marry your father. Please don't ever hesitate to throw your ideas into the mix. All four of us are busy, and none of us can think of everything. Sometimes we're too tired. I'd love it to be a family project."

"We are still going to the Hamptons this weekend, aren't we?" Martha asked hopefully. "I want to see some of these places in the flesh. With any luck, we could come home knowing where and when you're getting married.

"Wouldn't that be nice?" Castle commented. "Kate, why don't you order Thai so we don't have to cook? Here's my card. Use that, and I'll get my laptop."

Handing the card back, Kate argued, "Castle, I can order Thai without your card."

"Stubborn woman," he grumbled. All right, but some place, sometime in May, you're going to become my wife, and you'll have one of these of your own…which I'll expect you to use," he insisted, waving the card at her as he put it back in his wallet.

"Something else we haven't talked about," Kate said softly.

"I know you aren't comfortable about it, but you'll need to meet with my attorney and my accountant soon so we know what they need from you…and you know what you may need from them. Venue and date first, then we'll have that talk," Castle assured her.

"Katherine, you're the only woman we've met who hasn't been champing at the bit to spend as much of his money as she can, and _you_ don't even want to use that magic card of his to buy dinner," Martha commented. "I'm so proud of you…and wonder what's wrong with you all at the same time."

Laughter eased the tension, and Kate sent Castle for his laptop while she ordered…with her own debit card.

"We can look at everything again and see if there's anything we want to eliminate, then I guess we'll leave it until Alexis narrows it down tomorrow," Kate observed as Castle returned and set his computer up across the table from his mother and daughter.

"Alexis, tomorrow can you text us a list of the ones that aren't available so I can eliminate those from my laptop before we show Joseph? Or I can send you the list of links and you can email an edited copy with those removed."

"I can do that. I like that it's a family project."

Kate started to say something, then stopped.

"What?" Castle asked, putting his arm around Kate's waist for moral support. "You started to say something."

"Can we invite my dad?" she asked, hastening to explain, "He's my family, too. If it's going to be a family project… And he hasn't seen your house there…and we used to love the beach..."

"And he should have a say in where he's going to walk you down the aisle?" When she nodded, Castle put her out of her self-imposed discomfort. "He's going to meet us here on Friday afternoon. I called him this morning while I was out on the coffee run."

"You never cease to amaze me," she answered, nuzzling into his shoulder.

"We're never going to bore each other, remember…and the romance will never be gone?"

"Good answer." She kissed the edge of his jaw and said, "Now let's get this list ready for Alexis."

After considering what they'd found the day before and making a final round of eliminations, Castle reminded Kate of the meetings at his publishing house the following afternoon.

"You know, unless something new comes in tomorrow, all I have to do tomorrow morning is reports…lots of witness statements, the interrogations, closing out the case. All of us will be working on that. You could sleep in and then help Alexis with the phone calls. I can still meet you at Black Pawn tomorrow afternoon after work."

"I might do that. I could call Joseph with a little advance warning, too. If he's available, I might get him a hotel room so he can go up on Sunday and have a free day on Monday to take his own look at things. He'd have contacts who might know more about the area…find us something even better than what we've found…he might even have something else to offer by the time we leave on Friday."

"Then stay home tomorrow. You and I want to be married, and we both want to enjoy the journey. You and your daughter are a good team, so go for whatever you can get done. I'm ready to be a Castle."

"Did you think we'd ever get them this far?" Alexis asked Martha.

"Honestly, I thought they might dance around each other for decades until they were too old to enjoy the wedding night," Martha answered.

Alexis giggled self-consciously, and Martha laughed and gave her a one-armed hug. Sorry, darling, but you asked."

"I'm gonna go take a shower now where I can't hear you talking about us as if we aren't here," Kate announced.

Castle stood and started to say something, but Alexis cut him off. "Don't even think about saying you need a shower, too. That would gross me out completely, so sit back down right now."

"How did I get such a bossy child?" he complained, then fell back into conversation with his mother and daughter.

xxxxx

At the precinct the next afternoon, nothing new had come in by four, all the reports were in, and Beckett went to talk to the captain.

"I just emailed all the reports, so you should have them by now, and I'll print the hard copies and set up a file before I leave. We're meeting with the wedding planner for dinner, and nothing new has come in. I'd like to leave a little early if that's okay."

"No problem, Detective," the captain answered. "See you in the morning."

Beckett sat down at her desk to print her reports and gather all the information in a file, and when she finished that, she sent Castle a text. 'Leaving early. I'll wait in the lobby.'

In seconds she got a text in return. 'Wish we were ahead here. Come up and creepily watch me work for a change.'

'They'd let me?'

'I'll give them no choice. No Kate, no Rick.'

'LOL See you soon.'

"See you tomorrow, guys," Beckett told them, passing their desk. "Here's the file. Add what you have."

Ryan reached and took the file, and they mumbled good-byes, engrossed in whatever it was they were doing. Beckett didn't care what that might be, as long as the file was complete when she came in the next morning.

xxxxx

Arriving at Black Pawn, Kate felt out of her element. If she were there on police business, she would pull out her badge and take charge of introducing herself and announcing her intentions without hesitation. However, she was here now only to crash her fiancé's business meeting for no reason other than to creepily watch him work…and possibly annoy Gina and Paula a little bit. That last thought appealed to her evil side, and she knew Castle would certainly enjoy the idea.

With that in mind, she put her Detective Beckett persona back on and strode over to the reception desk. Kate Beckett for Richard Castle," she announced. Before the receptionist could turn her condescending look into words, Kate added, "He's expecting me."

"He's in a meeting right now. I'm afraid you'll have to wait, Miss…I'm sorry. I didn't get your name." the receptionist said with a hint of arrogance.

Kate smiled and took out her phone. "That's odd. His text says to meet him there." She showed the texts to the woman, who blanched slightly. "Maybe you should call and check."

As she dialed Gina's number, the young woman asked nervously, "And how do you know Mr. Castle?"

"I'm his fiancé." Pulling her jacket back to show her badge, "He's been following me at work for a while, writing Nikki Heat. What was your name again?"

"Jennifer," the woman answered, all trace of arrogance gone. "Miss Cowell. There's a Kate Beckett here who says Mr. Castle is expecting her to join him." After watching Kate send a text, the woman looked entirely intimidated. "But Miss Cowell…" Listening again, she looked defeated, and Kate was feeling anything but. "All right, I'll tell her, but…" Then she hung up. "I'm sorry, but Miss Cowell asked that you wait here."

"Not looking the least bit concerned, Kate sat down in the reception area. She knew Rick, and she was waiting for the phone to ring again at Jennifer's desk. It didn't take long, and when Jennifer picked it up, she could hear Rick, Gina's good sense being called into question loudly, then lowering the volume of his voice to speak to Jennifer. "No, Mr. Castle. I wasn't told." There was a pause before she answered, "Yes sir. I'll send her right up."

Kate stood again expectantly.

"Third floor conference room, Miss Beckett. It's on the left when you exit the elevator."

"Thank you, Jennifer," Kate said politely, realizing that the only thing about the situation that was the young woman's fault was her unbecoming arrogance. Then she turned her back and strode confidently to the elevator, once inside smiling to herself. After leaving the elevator, she didn't knock on the door, just let herself in and looked for Castle. Gina had obviously earned that little piece of annoyance.

"Hi," she said in Castle's direction, as if nothing at all was wrong. "Sorry I'm late. Apparently there was a little misunderstanding with the receptionist."

He stood to greet her, giving her a quick kiss in spite of the audience. "Sit down here with me. I'm really sorry about that. Your colleagues accept me among them so I can write the books that provide part of these people's salary. I mistakenly thought they would do the same for you." The last statement was made while glaring at Gina.

Paula raised her hands in front of her, seeming to accept no responsibility for the problem.

"Well, you can already see that she's slowed down our meeting," Gina blustered in her own defense.

"Which would not have happened if you hadn't tried to manipulate things to keep her out. You saw how little time it took for her to walk in and sit down. And the atmosphere was a lot friendlier before your little subterfuge with the fake phone call to reception. What were you thinking, Gina? Let's get back to business. I've told you we have an appointment that I don't intend to miss."

"Fine. We've been over everything you seemed to think was a problem."

"Because for me, it _was_ a problem. It was either editing I couldn't accept or…"

"Or something else that compromised the integrity of your work, or whatever," she snarked. "You have what you wanted. My part of this is done after you've signed these approvals. Tomorrow I'll get the copies out to the people who need them to get their jobs done."

Castle visibly tried to calm himself, and Kate put her hand over his to help. He looked at her appreciatively and turned his hand to squeeze hers lovingly. Much more calmly, he opened the folder, looked quickly at each page before he signed, returned the signed documents to the folder, and handed them to Gina.

"I'm sorry, Castle," Kate said softly, her hand back on his, eyes only for him. "If I'd known it would be such a problem, I would have willingly waited in the lobby. That's what…"

"I wanted you here. It shouldn't have been a problem, and it certainly wasn't of your making."

Turning to Paula, he asked, "What do you need me to do short of finalizing the book tour?"

"Kate," can you tell him we need to get those plans in place? He refuses to do anything until you have your wedding planned. Weddings take forever, and September isn't that far away."

"This wedding won't take that long. We're planning on May. Kate assured her. If you can give him a few weeks, you can probably have your answers and a schedule he can confirm. He's the only person who can decide how many things he can do at once."

"May!? Are you pregnant…or have the two of you been planning under the radar? How are you going to put together a huge wedding by May?"

"No, I'm not pregnant, and it isn't going to be a huge wedding. It's going to be low key."

"How do I spin Richard Castle and low key with a straight face?"

"We'll help you figure it out."

Castle took a deep breath, seeming to breathe out the tension that was in him when Kate arrived.

"She's right," he agreed. "We'll help you figure it out."

"Do you already have a venue arranged? You know it's impossible to find a big venue in this town by May."

"We're thinking the Hamptons," Castle admitted.

"At the house?!" Gina answered, contained anger in her tone.

Looking back at Kate, Castle answered, never glancing away from Kate. "No, Gina. Not at the house. We're looking for a place this weekend and we already have some ideas."

"So the two of you are going to traipse around the Hamptons looking for a place to get married?" Gina asked, a hint of the snark coming back.

"Give us a little credit. We've done some research."

"We've all done some research," Kate affirmed. The wedding has turned into a family project. Alexis had an idea, Martha expanded on it, and we all researched it."

"Both of you know Joseph. He's meeting us for dinner tonight. Kate's dad is going with us this weekend, and if he can, we'll get Joseph to meet us there, too," Castle told them. "Lots of input. We're going to make it perfect."

"In less than three months?"

"Yes." Kate and Castle answered together.

"Then I suppose we should expect our invitations soon?" Paula asked skeptically.

"About that…"

"About invitations?" Paula asked.

"He's still mad about not inviting _her_, today," Gina said with her arms folded across her chest.

"Hey, I had nothing to do with that," Paula protested.

Turning to Castle, Kate requested, "Let me take this one. Wait outside and give me a few minutes?" When Castle hesitated, she added, "Please?"

"Are you sure about this? It should be my responsibility." When she nodded, he qualified his agreement with a firm, "I'm not going far."

"I'd be surprised if you did," she answered, and Castle reluctantly left and closed the door behind him.

"What have you done," Paula asked angrily. "How the hell am I supposed to spin good publicity out of a wedding I don't get to see? What gives you the right to interfere with his career?"

"And what gives you the right to assume our wedding is for your publicity purposes?" Kate shot back. Turning to the even angrier occupant of the room, she asked, "Gina, did you invite Meredith to your wedding?"

"Hell, no!" she answered. "Why would I…" then she stopped, obviously seeing that Kate had just given legs to one of the reasons she intended to convey as to the lack of invitations.

"It's going to be my only wedding, and Castle's last. We've made it work for a couple of years, and we intend to make it work for a lifetime. We've mutually agreed there won't be any exes, or…other people who would remind of anyone but us. It's important to both of us to start that way. On my wedding day I don't want to see anybody else Rick has slept with, and that includes everybody in this room, right?

Paula was speechless. "How… Did he…"

"You might want to consider the volume level of your voice at places like book launch parties when you tell him to get me out of his system. I heard the rest, too; and I'm pretty sure his not-sixteen-years-old-yet daughter didn't miss it, either. Pretty thoughtless, and not something I want to remember on the day I marry him.

"And Gina, it brings back the hurt every time I see you."

"What hurt? I never did anything to you."

"Not intentionally, and most of it was my own doing, but it didn't hurt any less." She stopped and took a deep breath before going on. "He had asked me to go with him to the Hamptons…several times…but I was seeing someone else and refused him every time. Then, right before he was going to leave, I broke up with the other guy, and I was about to tell him I'd go with him. Then the elevator door opened, and…"

"And I walked away with him. He never told me."

"I never told him...still haven't. He was with you again, and I met Josh later that summer, so it set us back almost another year and a half. He replaced me so fast, I…"

"Well, that explains a lot. I could tell his heart wasn't in the second try. He was making too much effort, like he was desperate to make it work…but not like it was what he really wanted. I guess he didn't replace you…he only tried to. There were times once we got back in the fall that all he could talk about was you. We both knew it wasn't working, and he finally manned up and said so." Gina paused as if considering her next words. "It hurts me to see you, too. In all the time we dated, were married, or tried a second time, he never once looked at me the way he looked at you when he was talking about your wedding…not even on our wedding day. I think the two of you might really make it last. He's a good man, and he deserves to be happy. I'm sorry I behaved so badly this afternoon."

"We don't really know each other, but I'm going to be at his book launches and the publicity events he needs to attend as often as I can. You and Rick work together, so I'd like to think we can have at least a civil relationship."

Gina laughed wryly. "We may not be BFF's any time soon, but I can do civil." She held out her hand with the look of a peace offering, and Kate took it and smiled.

"Deal," Kate answered, then turned her attention to the third woman in the room. "Paula, what's your drop dead deadline to finalize that book tour? Is there anything he could do locally early in the summer that would help you? We need to find a wedding venue, before we can do anything else. After that Martha and Alexis are there to pinch hit, and Joseph is there to work with us...and believe me, I want it all done yesterday, too. Will you let me make some suggestions if I see a way to do something differently with publicity?"

Paula, still reeling from knowledge of the information she had apparently shared more freely than she intended at the book launch party, agreed to listen if Kate had ideas.

"We have half an hour to meet Joseph a couple of blocks from here. Let's see what you and Rick can do in about fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes, huh?"

"We're all civil now. It's going to be easier for all of us to think."

Gina had been watching; and as Kate and Paula talked, she walked to the door, finding Rick, as expected, leaning against the opposite wall outside, looking concerned.

"Come on in. Kate says you have to leave in fifteen minutes."

"Sit down. Let's see what we can do," Paula told him.

The three of them came up with a few things he could do locally after they were married, agreed on approximate dates for the book tour, leaving details for later, and Paula got approval on several small publicity ideas. They agreed to discuss publicity from the wedding later.

Fifteen minutes later, Gina was still sitting at the other end of the table watching, Paula was temporarily happy, and Kate and Castle were standing to leave.

"I'll tell Jennifer you can sit in on Rick's meetings whenever you want to," they heard from Gina. "There won't be any more problems."

"Thank you, Gina," Kate answered before they left.

Castle was quiet, taking everything in...and glad to be leaving.

"You really are extraordinary," Castle said, looking back at the room they just left.

"I'll tell you about it later," she promised, and they slid arms around each other's waists, smiled at one another, and went to meet Joseph.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"It's good to meet you, Joseph," Kate said, taking the hand the man was holding toward her.

Joseph was about six feet tall, appeared to be in his late forties, attractive, fit, impeccably dressed, and the very picture of easy decorum, but the twinkling brown eyes spoke of a ready sense of humor beneath the proper picture on the surface. He presented the impression of someone who could put together an event with ease…and with much less drama than either Gina or Paula.

They all sat down, and a welcoming waiter appeared at the table with menus.

"Why don't we order, then we'll show you what we've found so far," Castle suggested.

"My thoughts exactly," Joseph agreed.

The waiter returned with perfect timing, took their orders, and then left. Castle had again arranged to have them seated in as quiet a corner of the restaurant as possible, a place where he could put his laptop on the table and show the event planner the slide show Alexis had insisted on putting together for him before he left for his meetings…and could know it wouldn't be seen by curious passers-by.

"Is there any chance you could meet us at the house early on Sunday and take a couple of days to look around?" Castle asked. "I'll arrange a hotel for you if you can manage that."

"Rick, when you told me you were marrying a woman who wanted a small wedding and that you wanted this wedding sometime in May, I cleared my calendar for the week. First I had to meet this phenomenon you described to me, and second, we have a lot of decisions to make and not much time to make them." He paused a moment for effect, then added, mischievously, "And third, how could I possibly pass up two days of accommodations in the Hamptons sans tourists? I love it there. Now let's see what you've found."

Castle opened his laptop and turned it toward Joseph. He started the slide show when they had arranged themselves at the table where all of them could see.

"We've already eliminated the ones with no open dates available on weekends in May and the churches that don't allow weddings outside their membership or denomination. All of these are currently available as of this afternoon," Castle explained.

"You're certainly making my job easier," the other man answered appreciatively as he watched. As the slide show went on, their event planner was obviously impressed with some of their choices. "I've run events at a few of these places," he told them.

Castle opened a folder of print-outs for each place, pulled a pen from his pocket, and said, "Which ones? Tell us what you know about them."

"Go back to thumbnails for a minute," he said after they had seen everything. These two look beautiful in the photos, but in reality, they don't show up nearly as well," Joseph stated. "These four are absolutely as beautiful as they look, but working with the people there isn't pleasant. One owner is so disorganized as to be undependable, another is an awful gossip and might have your information out to the public before he even realized he had done it, the pastor at this church must have been called to test the faith of his parishioners…he was obnoxiously grumpy…complained from the time we got there to the time we left, and the owner here was a crazy woman."

"We have enough crazy with no more than trying to do this in May," Kate commented.

Rick pulled those printouts and marked an X on them so they wouldn't accidentally consider them later.

"These two you'll want to consider. I've been doing this for twenty years, and several parties in those places have been a real joy. One of my contacts here had two suggestions…two places that don't advertise. They're about fifteen miles apart, on the beach and rather exclusive. Their advertising is mostly word of mouth between satisfied, wealthy clients. One is run by a very down-to-earth couple. The other is kind of snooty."

"Let's see the non-snooty one," Kate answered with a grin.

When Joseph pulled it up on his own laptop, Rick looked at Kate and said, "We should look at that one, right?"

"We should at least call and see if it's available," she answered with a smile. "Let's not even look at the snooty one. Our lives are full of enough drama already. I'd like our wedding to be as free of drama and annoyances as possible."

"Agreed," Rick answered.

During their meal, Joseph asked a lot of questions designed to determine what the couple wanted and to gauge the personalities he would be working with; and as inconspicuously as possible, he took a lot of notes. He already knew Rick and what he had wanted in the past, but the dynamic between Rick and Kate made him realize he needed to re-evaluate.

As they left the restaurant, Kate turned to Joseph before they went their separate ways, "So you'll meet us at the house on Sunday morning?"

"Wouldn't miss it," he answered. "And you're looking around on Saturday to narrow things down a little more?"

"We're looking forward to it." Kate answered. "All five of us."

"Five?" he asked in surprise.

"Alexis, Mother, and Kate's father," Castle explained with a smile. "We're going to be family, so we decided to plan like one. I think I like it."

"I know I like it," Kate declared.

"You're right, Rick. Phenomenal." Turning to Kate, he offered his hand again. "Detective Beckett, you are a multi-faceted woman. It's been a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to helping the two of you…or should I say the five of you…create exactly the wedding you want."

"Do you think we can really make it happen that fast?"

"For the two of you, I guarantee we will do whatever it takes to make sure it does. You have my word."

"That's good enough for me," Castle told him with a firm handshake.

As they walked back to where Kate had parked her car, he asked what had happened between the three women at Black Pawn,

"In a nutshell, Gina and I agreed on the reasons that seeing one another doesn't make either of us feel good and on the why of the wedding invitation issue. Paula was shocked at how many people who didn't need that information are now aware that you and she…"

"Got it," Castle said uncomfortably. "Huge mistake on my part even then. Moving on."

"Gina and I established a truce, agreeing to be civil for the sake of your business relationship...and because we can both be reasonable women when we need to be."

"And you talked Paula down from her funk and helped us get more done in fifteen minutes than we had in the half hour before you got there." he said, gazing at her in wonder. "You were amazing. Want to come to all of those meetings from now on?"

xxxxx

"Darlings, you're back."

Martha was just pouring herself a glass of wine and held the bottle up in question. Seeing a nod of agreement, she took down glasses and poured two more.

As Kate and Castle collected their glasses and leaned against the kitchen counter, Martha asked, "How was your meeting with Joseph? Did he approve of our choices?"

"He did for the most part. He had worked events at some of them and had some insights on those, and one new suggestion, Castle told her. Looks like we did pretty well on our own. His contacts in the Hamptons recommended some of the same places."

"We added one and eliminated eight or ten, based on deceptive photo presentations and various difficulties with the people we'd have to work with," Kate added. "Saturday we'll find all of them, take a look and eliminate some more, and Joseph will be at the house on Sunday morning. I like him. He's much more down-to-earth than I expected of an event planner."

"He's good, too. Once he's sure what you want, you get it," Martha assured her future daughter-in-law.

"This was a long day," Kate said, moving to sit down at the breakfast bar with her wine.

"She probably needed that wine, Mother. You would have been so proud. Among other problems, the wedding invitation issue came up, and Paula and Gina realized they weren't invited. Kate sent me out, talked everybody through it, stood her ground, and had everybody civil and cooperating when they let me back in. I think they eventually realized we got more done with her there than without her." In a stage whisper, he dramatically stated, "She's the witch whisperer."

"Brava, Katherine! Well done," Martha answered with exuberance.

"She left with standing permission from Gina to join us for meetings whenever she wants."

"Impressive." Martha raised her glass…a toast in Kate's direction, then drained the rest of her wine and announced," I have classes to teach tomorrow, so I'm going up to pack for the weekend."

"Is Alexis here?" Kate asked.

She's getting coffee with friends…said she'd pack when she gets home. The two of you should do the same."

"We're going to relax first, Mother. It's been a long day, but it's our wedding. We'll be ready tomorrow," Castle answered.

xxxxx

Everyone had made it home, and all their bags were waiting next to the front door of the loft when Jim Beckett arrived on Friday afternoon.

"Am I late?" he asked when Kate opened the door and he saw all the luggage.

"No," Castle answered, coming to meet him and shake his hand. "You're right on time. Hey, Jim. Good to see you."

"Looks like everybody else is ready to go. Shall I turn this bag around and take it to the car right now?"

"Fine with me," Kate answered, reaching for her dad. "You missed your hug."

He hugged her tight. "I didn't mean to ignore you, Katie Bug. Get your suitcase and show me where to take mine?"

"Sure. Come on."

"Yeah, Katie Bug. Show your dad to the car," Castle teased

"Don't even…" Kate managed to say before Castle swooped in and hushed her with a quick kiss on the lips followed by a satisfied grin.

Everyone smiled at the foolishness, found their luggage, and escorted Jim Beckett to the car while Castle locked up the loft. He caught up with the others quickly, Jim helped him load the luggage into the SUV they were taking, and the women settled themselves into the car to wait.

Castle put the key into the ignition when everyone had settled in, and asked Kate, "No argument about who's driving today?"

"I thought I'd let you look all macho man-in-charge in front of my Dad."

"Sorry, Rick," Jim said from the seat behind them. Johanna and I tried hard, but…"

Castle laughed. "It's okay, Jim. I've put up with her this long. I think I'll keep her, anyway."

"When Rick called me, I was about to meet with a client, so we didn't have much time to talk. What exactly are we hoping to accomplish on this trip?" Jim asked of the whole group, and Martha and Alexis proceeded to fill him in.

"So tonight we relax, and tomorrow we wander all over the Hamptons?"

"You got it, Dad," Kate answered.

As they got closer to their destination, someone would point out one of the churches they intended to visit the next day or a road they knew would lead to one of the other possibilities on their list."

"Want to see what we'll be looking for?" Alexis asked Jim.

"Sure. Do you have pictures?" he asked.

She opened her laptop and set up the slide show for him, and she and Martha pointed out their favorites.

"Can you show me how to do this?" Jim asked Alexis. "Now and then it could come in handy, but when it comes to things like this, I always have to ask one of the young whippersnappers at the office, most of whom think anybody my age is incapable of learning anything. You wouldn't treat your almost grandfather like that, would you?"

"You want to be my granddad?"

"Unless you have enough of them…or don't think you need one."

"Then no, I wouldn't treat my almost grandfather that way," she answered looking pleased.

Castle and Kate looked at one another and smiled, each reaching for the other's hand and resting them together on the console between them. Jim was looking like a good addition to their somewhat unconventional family…and willingly being pulled in at that.

When they reached the house, Castle sent Alexis to open the front door for them, then he went to the back of the SUV to unload the luggage. Jim followed to help, and pulled out his bag and Kate's while Rick took his and his mother's. Since he had clothes at the house already, Rick had taken a small overnight bag, which he balanced on top of his mother's rolling suitcase and got Alexis' bag to pull in with the other hand.

"Go on in," Castle told the women. "Jim and I have this. Just leave the door open."

"Impressive place, Rick," Jim said, looking around.

"Thanks. We'll give you the tour in a few minutes."

"Why don't we put these where they belong so we don't have to worry about it later," Jim suggested.

"Might as well. We'll need to take them upstairs."

"Lead the way," Jim answered, and they entered the house with Jim still looking around, taking in the luxury that this very down-to-earth family seemed to accept as normal.

"I'll leave your bags in your rooms," he called to his mother and daughter as the two men were climbing the stairs. At the top of the stairs, Castle left the bags he was carrying to tell Jim, "Come on. I'll show you your room."

Jim pulled the two bags he carried and followed Rick into a large, beautifully furnished room with sunlight pouring in. "Quite a guest room," Jim stated.

Rick smiled. "The bath is on the left, closet on the right. All yours any time you want to use it."

Jim lowered the pull handle after setting his bag at the foot of the bed, and then remembered that he still had his hand on the other piece of luggage he had brought in. "This one is Katie's," he said, with a questioning tone to his voice, and a brief moment of awkwardness ensued.

"It goes in our room," Rick said firmly after a slight pause. "I'll take it. Less awkward that way?"

Jim allowed the luggage to stand so Rick could take it, and they both started to speak at the same time, Rick deciding to take charge.

"I love your daughter, Jim. There hasn't been a wedding yet, but we're here trying to make that happen. We may not be legally married; but in my heart I married her a good while ago, and I think she feels the same. We've hurt each other, suffered through bad timing, insecurities, misunderstandings, and a lot of other things; and in spite of all that, we're stronger now than ever. I'm completely committed to making this last a lifetime. I need you to believe that."

"I'm a realist, son. I know that, de facto, she's been living with you most of the last year or so; and I believe every word you said. But, yeah, it's a little awkward." He paused for a moment, ran his hand across his hair, and gave Rick a wry smile. "She's a grown woman now. I'll get over it. You take Katie's suitcase, and tell me where the others go.

Jim took the other luggage to where it would be needed and met Rick when he returned from the master bedroom.

"Do you want the tour now or later?" Rick asked.

"Now, I guess. Might as well get my reality check out of the way and start there", Jim said, pointing in the direction Rick just left. "Then you can show me the rest of the house, and then beach…to help me forget."

Rick chuckled and motioned him in. "This is Kate's now, too, you know…my family, this house, the loft, anything I have…it's ours now, not just mine. She finally moved everything out of her apartment this week…changed her address…moved in completely. She belongs to us, too, now."

Jim smiled a satisfied smile and gave Rick's arm a quick pat of understanding approval before he said, "Let's see the rest."

Coming down the stairs, they were drawn to the kitchen. "Coffee. Is it ready yet? And what's that on the counter?" Castle asked. "Is that…"

"That's exactly what it is," Alexis said excitedly. "Casey left us lasagna and a huge salad, so the oven is heating, and Kate has started the coffee."

"And what are you doing, Mother?" Rick asked.

"Supervising until the coffee is ready," she answered. "Then I'll be testing…quality control is important, you know," she dead-panned.

Jim laughed, and Rick took him to the living room, planning to make a circle around the downstairs area and back to the kitchen for his coffee. When they returned to the kitchen, Kate handed them travel mugs filled with coffee the way each of them liked it.

"I figured the next part of the tour would be outside," she explained

"Thank you," Castle answered softly, and brushed a little kiss on her brow. "The pool is next," he said to Jim, using his cup to indicate the direction they would be taking.

"Turning back toward the kitchen, Jim said, "Alexis, I meant to ask earlier, "How is Pi? Is he working this weekend?"

"We broke up not long ago," Alexis said non-committally.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject," Jim apologized.

"It's okay, Mr. Beckett. You didn't know. Don't worry about it."

He turned away and didn't say anything else until he and Rick were outside. "I guess I put my foot in my mouth back there, didn't I? Was it a bad break-up?"

"For me it was a welcome break-up, and she seems to have handled it pretty well. I think she rushed into what she did and he didn't turn out to be who she thought he was…and not quite what she thought he meant to her. I tried to talk to her beforehand, but she didn't want to hear it. It's hard to see another man walk away with your daughter, isn't it?"

"Tell me about it, why don't you," Jim said with a chuckle and swatted Rick's arm with the back of his hand before taking a sip of his coffee, and both men laughed. "Now where's that pool?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kate put her arms around Alexis after the men left the house. "Sorry my dad brought that up."

"He probably thought it was something a granddad would ask," she answered, hugging Kate back. "I don't know why it still makes me so sad. It isn't like I still want to be with him and he doesn't want me. I _don't_ want him back, but it still hurts so much."

"It's more than whether you want him or not," Kate soothed, stroking the smooth, red hair. "It's all the hope that was there at the beginning that gradually wasted away. It's still caring enough to wish you didn't have to hurt him to avoid hurting both of you in the long run. It's that it was the first time someone was special enough to you that you were willing to be that close to him…and feeling like you failed at something that was so important to you when it started. Before long you'll meet somebody else who will distract you from thinking about it so often, and your judgment techniques will have taken a step forward. You need to know that you may have a new lesson or two to learn from the next guy, but..."

"But it won't kill me, right?" Alexis asked with a slightly water laugh.

"Right," Kate answered, chuckling at the fact that she had been quoted from their last serious talk. "It won't kill you."

Pulling herself out of Kate's arms, she said, "I'm going to go up and pull myself together before they get back in. I don't want your dad to think this is his fault." Just before she got to the stairs, she turned back toward Kate, saying, "I kind of wish you had been my mother."

Kate smiled at her. "Any time you need me. Don't forget that. And it's sweet of you to think of my dad."

As Alexis climbed the stairs, Martha looked at Kate in obvious appreciation. "What she said," she breathed softly. "Katherine, I don't know what to say. Where did you find the perfect words for her?"

"Most of it was what my mother told me after I broke up with my first serious boyfriend...just before that winter break when she was killed. Even though it was over the phone while I was still at Stanford, it helped a lot. I could almost feel her arms around me stroking my hair...giving some of the last good insights I got from her. I guess I moved on but never really forgot. It just came to mind to fit the occasion…like my mom was still around somewhere trying to teach me how to be a mother someday."

Kate was tearing up at that point, and Martha wasn't far behind, pulling the younger woman into a motherly hug. "Well with your mother helping from 'wherever' and the two of us here, do you think maybe we can save all our children from disaster?" She pulled back and looked at Kate. "Good Lord. With all this blubbering, we should probably go and freshen up, too. They'll come back in and think somebody died."

Arms around one another, they laughed their own watery laughs and went up to wash their faces and put themselves back together.

xxxxx

By the time Jim and Rick had walked to the pool, Rick had retold the "dead guy falling into the pool saga" from Kate's first visit…at least the parts he could comfortably tell Kate's father…and they had walked down to the beach for a few minutes, the lasagna was done, the table was set, a big pitcher of iced tea was on the table, and all the women of the house had rescued their faces.

After dinner, Alexis said she was going outside for a little while and got a hoodie from the hall closet.

"Want some company?" Castle asked.

"No. I just want to soak up a little ocean air. I won't be long." She smiled at her father and walked out the back door.

"Will she be okay out there?" Jim asked.

"It's pretty safe here," Rick answered. "But I still keep an eye on her. Can't seem to help myself."

"Understood," the older man answered. After helping clear the table and staying for a few more minutes of conversation, he walked out of the kitchen with Rick, and said, "I think I'll turn in now. It sounds like tomorrow could be another long one, and I'm not as young as I used to be." He looked back toward the kitchen where he could see his daughter and Martha, then back to Rick. "Besides," he added mischievously, moving his hand to indicate Kate and Rick, "this way I don't have to see…"

"Understood," Rick answered a bit self-consciously and gave Jim a firm handshake. "We thought we'd aim for leaving around nine-thirty.

After an acknowledging nod, Jim called, "Goodnight ladies. See you in the morning," and he heard their responses as he went to his room for the night.

As Rick stood at the bottom of the stairs, Martha went to the window to check on Alexis.

"Uh-oh."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Alexis. She's sitting on the grass next to the beach."

"Maybe I'd better go and check on her."

"Why does it worry you that she's sitting on the grass near the beach?" Kate questioned.

"Because that's where she's always gone when she was upset…to cry or rant or whatever was called for. The good part was that she'd usually talk to me when we were out there. I'm gonna go see if that still works."

"I hope you handle it as well as Kate handled things after you and Jim went outside. This woman is truly extraordinary, Martha stated."

"I keep telling you that, Mother. I can't believe you still seem surprised. Can we talk about this afternoon later, Kate?"

She nodded, and she and Martha watched him walk across the lawn and sit down next to Alexis. His daughter leaned her head on his shoulder, and both women in the house sighed in relief. Maybe things between father and daughter would go well.

"He's been under a lot of pressure in the last few days, Martha. This might be a big conversation for them. Your son is pretty extraordinary himself, but he needs a break."

"You know more than you've told us, don't you?" Martha asked.

"Alexis promised to tell her dad herself. For her sake, I hope she talks to him now. For his sake, I wish she had waited until tomorrow."

"Well, I guess we'll know soon.

Kate nodded and sat down on the sofa, sliding down until her head rested on the back, and closing her eyes.

"I hope my son realizes how damned lucky he really is to have you," Martha commented matter-of-factly as she dropped into one of the chairs, just as exhausted as everyone else.

Kate never opened her eyes, but she smiled.

xxxxx

Hey, Pumpkin," Castle said softly, sitting down cross-legged beside her in the grass. "What's on your mind? This is your thinking spot."

"This one's hard to talk about, Dad," Sniffling suspiciously like she had been crying, she slid her arm around his and leaned her head on his shoulder the way she did when she was younger.

"Then I'll just keep you company until you're ready to talk. That okay?"

"Thanks."

They sat for a while, listening to the ocean and enjoying the breeze wafting through the dark; and Alexis finally eased herself into general conversation, not mentioning the biggest thing on her mind yet.

"Mr. Beckett said he'd be my grandfather. It surprised me."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just didn't expect it. Would he want me to call him Granddad, do you think?"

"Want me to get Kate to ask him?"

"I guess. Having a grandfather is something new."

"You met your mother's dad."

"About three times in my whole life," she huffed, "and he didn't have a lot to say to me. He mostly argued with Mom. I didn't have much to mourn when he died. Mom didn't even seem to care about anything more than the fact that she, as his 'grieving' daughter and only living relative, other than me, got to be the center of attention for a few days."

"Has something happened between you and your mother recently? 'Cause I'm sensing some animosity."

"Only that I saw Kate looking like she cares more about me than your ex-wife."

"Whoa! My ex-wife?!" he exclaimed, looking down at her. "What brought out that little spurt of venom?"

"Even when I was sick last year, we all know she didn't come to take care of me. She came to check out you and Kate. Taking care of her own daughter was just her perfect excuse to get to stay at the house again and spy on you. And I was at the top of the stairs when you went to get her purse…and I heard the little doubt bombshell she laid on Kate before she left." She paused to get her anger better under control, then sounded like the little girl she had been so often after her mother didn't show up for her birthday or a trip they had planned. "Why can't my mother care about me? Why can't she like me enough to come to see me…just to see _me_? You always tried to make me think she cared, but after a while I had to admit to myself that she doesn't know how. She even thinks she cares, but _she_ always comes first. You always put me first, even when it made things hard for you; and then I came home from Costa Rica and basically threw a six month tantrum because, for the only time in my whole life, you put yourself first. I was acting just like Mom. I'm really sorry, Dad."

"So was Pi part of the tantrum?"

"I guess so. I really did care about him, though. When Grams told me you had proposed to Kate, I felt so left out that you hadn't called me yourself. I wanted to be part of the excitement. I wanted to see your face after she said yes. I know now how many things you and Kate had to take care of in just a few days, and I do understand; but right then I was a long way from home and feeling sorry for myself. Pi sat down to talk to me one day, and he seemed to want to lift my spirits. He talked me into getting together with a few other people just for fun, and we started spending more time together...and I really liked him. When we were ready to come home, he had a stop in New York, and we were on the same flights. Then when he couldn't find his passport, it was a good reason to bring him home. I was stupidly angry with you. You didn't tell me, so payback was that I didn't have to tell you. He and I both knew it wouldn't take long to get another passport; but when I saw how much he annoyed you, payback hit a whole new level…and I convinced him to stay. You didn't deserve that."

"No, I didn't. And neither Kate nor Mother did, either."

"I know. I don't know why you put up with it as long as you did."

"Because Mother convinced me that if I didn't, you'd rebel and be sleeping with him on the couch."

She paused, looking ashamed of herself, tracing little circles on the leg of her jeans with one fingernail. "While we were at the loft, we talked about finding a place together…and we did it behind your back because I didn't want to argue with you about it. I really thought I loved him."

"I never doubted that's what you thought. Otherwise, even going for payback, I don't think you would have moved in with him."

"At first everything was great. We were decorating the apartment, planning how to get things done, just enjoying being together. He was looking for a job. I was tutoring and going to class, and it was nice coming home to our own place. When you and Grams came over for dinner, I never gave a thought to how long Pi had grated on your nerves in your own home…and I'd let him. I just lit into you about having no right to upset _him_ in his own home. Then I started realizing he didn't even notice that he annoyed you…or a couple of other people at our building. And I gradually figured out that I didn't love _him_ so much as the _idea_ of loving him, but by then…" When she slowed down for a breath, her dad put an arm around her shoulders for comfort. "By then I knew what I'd done and had to find my way out of it. I'm so sorry I put you through all that."

"Honey, you don't ever have to apologize for being in love. Thinking you're in love doesn't always make sense, but it doesn't make the feelings any less real. Apologizing for the six month tantrum and lack of respect for your family would probably be in line, but being in love…no apology required. Your grandmother and I haven't exactly provided you a shining representation of a stable love life, and I apologize for that. For what it's worth, I think Kate and I may be about to give you a better example."

"It's worth a lot. Kate treats me like she cares about me just for me…and I think she means it when she says she'll always be there when I need her. She said she'd be around for me even if the two of you didn't make things work."

Taking a deep breath and pulling his daughter closer, Castle said, "I love that woman more all the time. She wouldn't tell you that if she didn't mean it, you know."

"You're about to love her even more, then. I do."

"Are we getting to your temporary breakdown?"

Alexis nodded against his chest. "She said she didn't want to keep it from you…something about regaining your trust, but she still gave me the choice. I don't want to let her down."

"So what happened?"

"That day she came over to help me pack…when we had almost finished packing up the kitchen things, I was taking down a few things from the wall; and one of them was a calendar. When I looked at the date..." Her voice became softer, and she finished shakily, "When I looked at the date, I realized I could be pregnant." Feeling her father tense against her side, she quickly added, "I wasn't, but I didn't know that then, and I was so scared. I told Kate before I even knew I had said it out loud, and I was about to go into a full panic. Kate kept me calm enough to talk, asked a couple of questions, and took me to the drugstore and bought me five tests. She held my hand and talked to me until the timer went off…even checked them for me because I was too scared of what I might see." She stopped again and returned with the same soft, hesitant voice as before. "This is hard to tell your dad," she pointed out.

"It isn't exactly easy on this side, either, but we've always managed to get past that when we needed to," he reminded her gently.

"I knew I had been careful, but the calendar… Kate didn't sugar coat anything, but she didn't make me feel bad about myself, either. She took care of me, and then she made me get dressed and go to dinner with you so I wouldn't be alone."

Castle was momentarily speechless. He held his daughter in a fierce, relieved hug, glad for the darkness so she wouldn't see the tears in his eyes. He held tight to his self-control for her sake.

Alexis finally let herself go and cried, sobbing out, "Any of what I did is enough, but all of it...the whole package. You must be so disappointed in me."

He let her cry it out before he tried to say anything, and when she was calm enough to hear him, he said softly, "I know your mother told you she was pregnant when she married me. Your grandmother and I haven't been shining examples in that department, either. How about this? You and I are starting over…and we'll get things right this time." He paused and squeezed her tight, then in the way of the Castle/Rodgers clan, he resorted to humor. "I don't know if there's any hope for your grandmother."

Alexis laughed through her tears and hugged him tight, too.

"It's a little nippy out here. Are you ready to go in? Jim went to bed before I came out, so it's just Kate and Grams."

"Okay."

They got up and walked back with their arms around each other.

"Do you feel a little better?" Castle asked, kissing the top of her head.

"Yeah. I'm still not proud of myself, but it feels better that I'm not hiding things from you now." A few steps later, she said, "Dad?"

"You're not about to hit me with something else big, are you?"

"No," she answered with a smile. "I was going to say I'm sorry I shut you out of my apartment and that I even hinted I thought Kate might not be the right person for you. I'm really glad you have her."

"Me, too, Pumpkin. You know, you may have to kiss a few frogs before you find the prince.

"Kate said that, too," she smiled.

"Just don't move in again before you're sure he's the Prince."

"Lesson learned, I think."

As they reached the back of the house, Alexis said, "Thanks for not being all judgmental."

"Thanks for talking to me. It makes me feel like I haven't lost you yet…even though I'm learning to admit I have to let you be a grown-up.

"You're admitting that?"

"I'm getting closer. Will that do?"

"It's enough for now," she said with a smile and stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "I love you, Dad."

"Love you, too. Ready to go in now?"

She nodded, and he opened the door for her.

When the door opened and closed, the two half asleep women in the living room sat up, more alert.

"Everybody okay?" Kate asked.

"We're okay. Thanks, Kate," Alexis said.

Taking a good, knowing look at her son, Martha stood and linked arms with her granddaughter and insisted, "Come on, kiddo. It looks like you could do with a good night's rest. Grams is going to tuck you in."

'Night Dad," Alexis said as Martha encouraged her up the stairs.

Martha looked back at the man who would always be her little boy and found him gazing at her appreciatively. She would love to tuck him in, too, but she trusted Kate to take care of him.

He waited until he was sure his mother and daughter were upstairs before he grabbed Kate and buried his face against her neck, sagging into her arms. She held him as he fell apart and pulled himself back together.

"Every time I think I couldn't be happier to marry you, you give me another reason to understand I was wrong. God, Kate…the thought that she would have had to go through that alone...scared and alone... She told me what you did…and how you did it. I don't know what kind of sixth sense took you there that afternoon, but I can't thank you enough. She apologized for all the trouble at the loft and for all the anger about Pi. She described it as a six month tantrum, and I'd have to agree."

"Feel a little better?"

He laughed ruefully. "That's what I asked Alexis. I think she's okay. We had a good talk. I'll be okay, too."

Kate told him about the tears and make-up repair that afternoon, and Rick smiled with her.

As she used her thumbs to wipe the moisture from his reddish eyes, she observed, "It looks like the only person in the house who hasn't had at least a small battle with tears today is my dad."

With a thoughtful little smile, he answered, "He's a dad, just a few doors away from us; and he knows where his daughter is sleeping tonight. I wouldn't bet big money on that." Then he quietly guided Kate up the stairs for a well-earned night of rest.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Tears, confessions, and awkward moments behind them, the five members of the search party, as they had begun to refer to themselves, set out on their mission, determined to finish it that day. They had mapped out a big circle that would start and end at the beach house with all their numerous stops in between.

Stopping and speaking to people at any of the venues that were open and had staff available, their introductions became a litany during the morning. Castle would say they were planning a wedding, introduce himself as Rick, then indicate the others and call them by first names. In most places they got by with only that. In two, someone recognized either Rick or Martha. In both those cases, they asked for discretion about their visit and the reason for it, and in neither case did they correct the owner's impression that Alexis would be the bride.

At two B&B's that morning, they drove up, took a look and drove away without even getting out of the car. At one of the others, they knew within minutes of starting the conversation that they didn't want to work with those people. At the several other possibilities that had "made the cut," one member of the group would take additional pictures to add to those from their online searches. When they finally stopped for a very late lunch, they'd had a quick look at about half the places on their list.

The little diner where they stopped was nearly deserted when they walked in, the hour of the day placing their arrival between the lunch and dinner rushes. They acknowledged the two older couples sitting near the entrance and found a large table near the back of the room where they could spread out their print-outs for discussion and all the cell phone photographers among them could send their carefully labelled pictures to Castle's email.

By the time they hit the road again, they had further updated the information folder with their impressions from the last couple of stops and had made a made another elimination.

"Well, we've made some progress. We're down to considering only about half of the first half," Jim announced.

"And still have about half to see," Kate reminded him.

"All the churches are in the next half," Alexis said. "Do you think we'll be able to see inside any of them on Saturday?"

"I don't know," Kate responded. "The first round of eliminations didn't leave us but three churches, so I'm hoping for at least one or two. I'm anxious to see the one that made you think of this in the first place. It must have made a real impression on you."

"They should all be open tomorrow," Castle answered. "We should be able to work things out to get a look sometime during the morning if we can't see them today."

"Let's get back to our mission," Martha suggested, dropping her napkin on the table. "We should see as many of these as we can before Joseph gets here tomorrow morning."

"Is everybody ready?" Castle asked as they gathered their information back into the file.

He was answered with a chorus of varying sounds of agreement, and Jim insisted on taking care of the bill while the others went to out to the SUV.

The first stop was one of the churches, which, as they had expected, was closed; but a walk around the building and a look at the problem they saw with the rather small grounds and parking area ruled that one out, anyway.

Their second visit was to the church that Alexis remembered, and they could all see why it had made an impression on a twelve year old. The part of the building most visible from the road looked like the picture of a little village church, the kind often seen on Christmas cards."

"Shall we try the door?" Martha asked.

"The worst thing that could happen is that it won't open. Let's go," Jim answered, leading the way, now well into the spirit of the trip.

To their surprise, the door was unlocked, and a man about Jim and Martha's age sat reading a newspaper on the front pew.

"Afternoon," he said with a smile, looking up from his paper. "Are you here for prayer, or just visiting?" he asked.

"Visiting," Castle answered, his natural curiosity obviously overtaking him. "Is the building open all the time? Do you have a lot of visitors?"

"It's open eight to five all week, and the members take turns hosting, the man answered, walking back to where they stood and offering his hand to Castle. "I'm Martin," he said, and Castle went through the litany from the morning as Martin shook hands all around. "The Pastor says it's both a house of worship and an historic landmark, so we owe it to the people who come here to take advantage of either to make it available. And yes, we host a fair share of both local people and tourists. My wife should be back in a couple of minutes. Would you like a tour?"

"We'd love that," Alexis said.

Returning her broad smile, he answered, "Then a tour you shall have." Turning toward the sound when his wife walked in, he said, "Millie, these nice folks would like to look around. Ready to help with their excursion?"

Falling right into tour guide mode, Millie said, "Nice to meet you. Well, obviously, this is the sanctuary. With the exception of three brief closings for repairs, this room has been used for services for over a century."

The obviously well-informed couple gave them a history of the church and its features, from the original stained glass windows and pulpits to the smaller things like the wooden display board that showed the hymn numbers for services, making use of a good sense of humor now and then when speaking of dry facts. They pointed out what few things were not original to the room they were in, and seemed pleased that the group had good comments and follow-up questions. From there, they directed them through the rest of the building, where evidence of the years of gradual expansion of the facility could be seen, their guides expounding on the dates and sizes of the expansions. The additions were obvious in the variations of building materials, showing that a couple of offices had been added, along with classrooms, a kitchen, a large common room, restrooms, storage areas, etc. Everyone in Castle's group found the tour much more interesting than they had expected. A couple of the bed and breakfasts they had seen that morning were in previously private homes that were a century old, or close to it; and they had been given similar tours, but neither of them had been carried out with such enthusiasm and detail.

When they returned to the sanctuary, Alexis asked if they could stay for a few minutes, and Martin and Millie discreetly gave them some time to themselves.

"I can see why you remembered," Kate said to Alexis. "And you're right about the peaceful feeling. I could be content for a while doing nothing more than watching for the dust motes in the light from the windows. With so many dark colors, it's surprising how light it is."

Seeing her granddaughter sit down on the very back pew to enjoy the space, Martha observed, "It's like stepping back to another time," and she sat down with Alexis, inhaling as if she could breathe in pieces of the past. "When I visited my grandmother as a child, she always took me to church with her, and it looked a lot like this." She paused for a moment and laughed. "There wasn't air conditioning in the church then, so there were flat paper fans with wooden handles about the thickness of popsicle sticks. They were always stored in the spaces on the backs of the pews...like these...the ones that hold the hymn books. One side of the fan would have pictures of bible stories or something to do with church, and the other side always had advertising for one of the local funeral homes. The advertising always seemed odd to me, but in the summer, we made good use of those fans."

Everyone smiled at her memories, and Jim even admitted to similar memories of his own grandparents' church.

Kate stood behind them, between the two men who loved her most, all of them imagining flowers and candles and formal wear and new beginnings before they realized there were other places to see before they went home.

The next church was eliminated without any need to see inside…neither bride nor groom feeling drawn to come back; then, three bed and breakfasts later, Martha wandered around the side of the house while the others talked to the owners, a pleasant, friendly couple in their early forties.

"Richard, Katherine!" the group heard from around the corner. "Come out here."

They hurried down the steps and around the corner to be sure Martha was all right, and found her looking at a porch. The white trim work offset the pale blue of the large beach house, and the arrangement of steps and deck-like platforms could easily accommodate a wedding. "Look at this. I can see it. The chairs on this beautiful lawn, the preacher, or Bob, or whoever, up there, the wedding party here…flowers… It could be perfect."

Castle turned to the owners and said, "I suppose you can tell we're looking for a wedding venue."

They laughed and the woman looked at her husband. "It may have crossed our minds," she answered, "We've had a number of weddings in this very spot, and most of them have been beautiful. We would work with you in whatever way you need us to, Mr. Castle…and we know how to be discreet and watch for any media interference."

"So you've seen through us, I take it," Castle conceded.

"This would be the extraordinary KB from Heat Wave, I believe," her husband answered.

"Guilty," Kate admitted with a self-conscious little eye roll.

"We have most of your books," he told Castle, and looking at Kate, added, "All of the Nikki Heat series. And this will be your wedding?" he asked.

"It will," Castle answered, instinctively putting an arm around Kate's waist, "and soon. This is the only place we've seen without knowing if it's available in our time frame."

We're usually pretty solidly booked, but we just had a cancellation in mid-May. There was a family birthday gathering planned for the matriarch, a family reunion of sorts; but she was hospitalized last week. We understand she's recovering well, but it was a serious enough scare to cancel the family's plans and have them gathering near her home instead. They had booked the entire place, Friday evening through Sunday for the whole weekend, so that weekend is wide open. Of course, May is probably too close for planning a wedding."

"May is perfect," Kate answered. "And we have an event planner and the rest of our family to help."

"He's meeting us at the house tomorrow morning," Castle said, and we'll let him have some say in final decisions."

"I understand. Who is your planner?"

"Joseph Meads. My family has worked with his group for years."

"We haven't worked with him before, but we've heard good things," the woman answered.

After a tour of the house and grounds, they thanked their hosts, the Williamsons, and went to see the two places closest to home, neither of which was particularly exciting to any of them.

xxxxx

When they reached the house, they all collapsed somewhere in the living room and just sat for a while.

Jim laughed lightly. "I can't believe we saw that many places in one day…and we're all still standing."

"In case you hadn't noticed, we're all _not_ standing anymore," Martha drawled.

"Well, we did manage to make it into the house without assistance," Jim insisted, pressing his case.

"I'll give you that. Not a small accomplishment, especially for the two of us."

"Are you saying I'm old?" Jim shot back.

"I don't hear you asking me to dance, old man," Martha teased.

Alexis giggled from where she was slouched in her own chair.

Castle and Kate had collapsed on the couch next to one another, and he had his arm around her shoulders. He looked down at her and said with mock seriousness, "If I had the energy, I'd go in the kitchen and make us coffee so we don't have to put up with them."

"And if I had the energy, I'd go with you," she answered, grinning and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Maybe if we make out enough to embarrass them, _they'll_ all go in the kitchen to make coffee, and we won't have to move." Following his speculation, he gave her a big noisy, showy kiss that brought on several forms of protest and laughter.

"Is anybody's phone close enough to order Chinese?" Alexis asked. "Is anybody even that hungry?"

"Not me," Kate answered, still laughing and sitting up straighter again. "Casey stocked the groceries pretty well. Why don't we all just raid the fridge when we get hungry?"

"The lasagna Casey?" Jim asked.

"Yeah, She and her husband run a company that takes care of private houses that are only used part time, Alexis explained. "We usually call at least a couple of days, usually farther ahead, before we're coming, and they stock some groceries and make sure the house is ready for us."

"They opened their business about the same time I bought the house; so I was one of their first customers," Rick added, "and they haven't disappointed us yet. As long as I don't overdo it, they let me get by with occasionally surprising them on really short notice…like this weekend."

Jim Beckett was still in good spirits, but he was looking around the room and out the window…looking thoughtful.

"What is it, Dad?" Kate asked. "I know that face."

"I was just trying to decide when you and I started feeling anywhere near comfortable with all this." Looking at the other family in the room, starting with Rick, he explained, "Katie's mother and I were both attorneys in a well-respected law firm, and we never lacked for what we needed or for most of what we simply wanted. But we're not here in someone's really nice beach house: we're here in what's effectively a mansion with its own private beach. And we're sitting in the living room with Martha Rodgers…who had our full attention and admiration every time your mother and I saw her on stage…sitting across the coffee table from me and teasing me about being an old man. You're curled up with your favorite best-selling author's arm around you and we're looking for a place for you to marry him and make his beautiful, brilliant daughter my beautiful, brilliant granddaughter…assuming that's what she wants. How did spending time with this kind of luxury and celebrity start feeling so comfortable?"

Rick and his family looked at Kate with curiosity as to what she would say.

"I think the same thing sometimes," she answered hesitantly. "But we're comfortable because Rick's family wants us to be. And because they want us to see that they're good people more than want us to see that they're rich and famous.

"But it still bothers you sometimes?" Castle asked Kate softly, holding her protectively.

"A little," she answered. "More surprises me, I think. Now and then I go to make coffee in the morning and look around the loft…that huge loft with the best of everything in it…and I wonder how in the world I can feel like I belong there." She paused briefly before she said lovingly, "And then you show up, looking for coffee, yawning and stretching and trying to straighten up your bed head…and then I remember."

When she smiled at him, they could see that Castles heart had melted…again…and when he kissed her forehead, they were lost in one another for a moment.

Filling the gap in conversation, Martha said, "Jim, we want your daughter to belong to this family because we know she means answers like that."

"Most women we've seen around him would love to make Grams and me disappear," Alexis told him, joining the conversation. "Kate likes us. She says we're a package deal along with Dad. And you sound like you wouldn't mind having a grown grandchild, not just have to put up with your son-in-law's offspring. We don't see anything in either of you that looks like you're here for any reason except that your daughter and my dad want to spend their lives together."

"And that makes us comfortable with the two of you," Martha explained. "No pretenses on either side."

"I hope I don't have to kiss too many more frogs," Alexis mused as she watched her dad and Kate returning from Caskett land. I want to find what they have."

"Well, I certainly hope you have enough good sense to recognize it when you see it and don't have to suffer through denial, etc., etc. as long as they did to get there," Martha quipped.

"Amen to that," Jim said with a chuckle, and the serious feeling of the conversation lightened again. "Come on, kid. "Why don't we go make some coffee."

Alexis smiled, looking happy that he singled her out to go with him, agreed to his suggestion and followed him to the kitchen.

Turning as they reached the kitchen, Jim called back to Martha, "Hey, Old Woman, I know the three of you in there would rather have a glass of wine, and I know I'm the reason you aren't. None of you have to do that, you know. I do appreciate the gesture, but I'm well practiced at finding something else now." When everyone in the living room hesitated, he encouraged them. "If this is really going to be family, I can't expect you to give up something you enjoy whenever I'm around forever. We might as well get used to the idea now."

Castle and Martha automatically looked to Kate to gauge her reaction. After a moment of consideration, she responded, "I'll get the wine."

"It's getting late. Do you want decaf?" Alexis asked opening the cabinet to get the coffee. "Or I make pretty good hot cocoa."

"I haven't had hot cocoa in…probably at least a decade," Jim answered. "Let's do that. Anything I can do to help?"

"Hand me the milk and get us a couple of mugs from that end cabinet. Get big ones…I really do make good hot cocoa."

"She really does," Kate agreed as she swooped in to grab wine and three glasses."

"Do we need to regroup somewhere to look at that list one more time before what's-his-name is here tomorrow morning?" her father asked while Alexis assembled what she needed.

"Probably," Kate answered. "Let's all get something to drink, then we'll decide."

She mentioned the list to Castle and Martha, they exchanged a few words about it, and Castle called out in the direction of the kitchen, "Let us know when the hot chocolate is ready, and we'll meet you at the kitchen table."

As the wine was opened and poured, they couldn't hear the exact conversation going on in the kitchen; but they could hear Jim's teasing voice and Alexis' laughter and then what sounded like an exchange of quick stories.

Standing, Castle reached for Kate's hand. "Walk out back with me for a few minutes?" At her obvious intent to follow him, he turned to his mother. "Tell Alexis to call us when she's ready. We won't be long."

"I'll be right here until it's time to get out of this chair and walk to the one in the kitchen," his mother answered, lifting her glass in salute. "Somebody will call you then."

Once outside the door and just inside the grassy area, they stood, hand in hand, looking toward the ocean, hearing it more than seeing it in the newly fallen darkness. "I love what you and your father are doing for Alexis. When we talked last night, I got yet another insight into what a number her mother has done on her self-image. She apparently realized a while back that her mother would always put herself first…that Meredith actually believes that she cares about her daughter, but, in truth, doesn't know how to care that much about another person. But, even knowing that, somewhere inside Alexis there's still that little girl who thinks that there must be something wrong with her if her own mother can't love her enough to want to be with her. That part of her was truly surprised…is still having trouble believing that your father, who has had no real family tie to her until recently, would want to treat her as his grandchild. I imagine the little bit of reluctance we could see was because she's afraid that bubble might burst, too, not because she doesn't want to jump into it"

"He genuinely likes Alexis. I think they might both enjoy the connection if she's okay with it. They sounded like they were getting along well over the hot chocolate project," Kate answered.

"It might be good for both of them right now." Not wanting to dwell too long on why, he moved back to his original train of thought. "At one point last night, Alexis was angry enough that she said you acted like you cared more about her than my ex-wife ever did. I've never heard her use that reference to her mother before."

"Your ex-wife? Yeah, that's pretty harsh."

"I think the anger might have come out because of you. She's seeing from you what she knows she should have seen from Meredith all these years…seeing what she's been cheated out of. And then when your dad came this week-end sounding like family, all the things most of her friends take for granted in their families rose to the surface in a massive, 'It wasn't _me_ all this time. Maybe I'm _not_ so unlovable that nobody but Dad and Grams would want to be my family' epiphany. She'll need some time to work through that, but she seems to have accepted that she has you now." He took a sip of his wine before broaching the next subject. "She also mentioned that she heard 'the little doubt bombshell' Meredith laid on you before she left last year. Is there anything you and I need to clear up?"

"Not now. I was having a little self-image crisis of my own right then, wondering if you were satisfied with no more than what we had then or if you might be having second thoughts, wondering if I wasn't enough to hold your interest much longer. What Meredith said helped feed that train of thought for a little while, but I have no doubts anymore. Nothing we need to talk about on that score. You do still want to marry me don't you?" she teased.

"Oh, God, yes!" He dropped his wine glass into the grass and took hers from her to do the same then pulled her into a full body embrace, burrowing his nose into her hair and saying near her ear, "And it can't happen soon enough."

"That's how I feel, too. Sometimes I feel so in love with you, I'm afraid I might spontaneously combust…cheesy as that sounds," she said, laughing at her sappy answer but not seeming the least bit sorry for it. Then she pulled back far enough to kiss him long and easy, and that was when the door opened and Alexis called them in.

"The file is on the table," his daughter reported. "We're all there waiting for you."

"Be right there," Castle called back.

"Do you see the glasses," he asked, looking at the ground.

Seeing a little glint of light, Kate pointed out one of them. Castle retrieved it, and they moved carefully trying not to step on the other one before they found it.

Back in the kitchen, Martha asked Alexis, "Where are they?"

"Almost finished making out, I think," Alexis said with a grin. "They'll be here in a minute." And she sat down between her grandparents.

When the last two entered the room, Castle looked at his daughter with his brows lowered. "When did you start spying for the enemy?" he asked, pulling their file folder toward him.

"How do you want to do this?' Martha asked as everyone chuckled.

Kate got up and brought back a handful of pencils from a drawer and unopened package of small legal pads, opening it and handing a notepad and pencil to each of them. "Everybody choose their top ten and we see what didn't make anybody's cut?"

There were murmurs of agreement, then Jim suggested, "Why don't we spread this out on the kitchen counter where we can see the whole collection easier?"

"Good call, Jim," Castle answered and the two men set out the printouts.

After looking at all the lists, some of the printouts were removed from the counter.

"What next?" Alexis asked.

"How about name the ones that we liked but didn't really love," Martha suggested.

Another three were eliminated after that.

"Top five of the ones left…in order of favorites?" Castle suggested.

Everyone turned to a new page and worked on their lists.

"Now tear off the pages and put them on the counter," Kate said. "Let's see what we've got left."

"This is exciting," Martha said energetically. "Sort of like a game show."

When they compared the lists, they discovered they had all chosen the same five venues but in somewhat different orders of preference; so those five printouts, with their accompanying cell-phone photography, were returned to the file and handed to a still enthusiastic Martha, who placed them ceremoniously at the end of the counter. Then she clasped her hands together and exclaimed, "Joseph is going to love us!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Hi Joseph," Alexis said when she opened the front door.

"Alexis. It's been too long. Look at you. You're all grown up." He gave her a little one-armed hug. "This is what I get for letting my associates work with our best clients. I lose track." Looking around as he entered the room, he zeroed in on Jim, walked over and held out his hand. You must be Jim Beckett."

"I am," Jim answered. "And you must be Joseph. I've heard glowing reports."

"Joseph Meads. And I'll do my best to live up to any such reports. We both want your daughter to have a wedding that meets all her expectations."

"We've already done most of this weekend's work for you," Martha said, patting the folder she held in her hand. "We saw everything on the list yesterday…nearly killed ourselves, but we're down to five candidates awaiting your well-trained eye."

"Bless you. Let me see," Joseph answered. "I was expecting more of a challenge."

"You know you had fun, Mother," Castle chided.

"Well that doesn't mean it didn't wear us out," she qualified.

"I see one of these is the one my contact recommended."

"And it was a good choice," Kate answered from her place wrapped in Castle's arm. "We'd like you to see these places with us today and look for potential problems…point out anything we might need to consider."

We're down to only one church, so time is a factor only for that one…oh, and for a party this afternoon at this place," Castle amended, pointing out one of the other print-outs. "We'll need to work around that one, too."

"I smell coffee. Can we have some and talk about these before we leave?"

"I'll get the coffee," Alexis offered.

After some planning and discussion, they were on the road again…on a much more limited trip this time. The church visit was scheduled in the middle of their travels so they would arrive about the time services ended; and they waited until the pastor, a tallish, stocky man with a lot of white showing in his once brown hair and his short, well-trimmed beard, had said good-bye to the last few of his parishioners before they went to speak to him.

When the minister saw them approaching, he gave them a warm smile and met them at the bottom of the front steps. Offering his hand to Rick, who was leading the group, he said, "Steven Grayson. Most people call me Steve…or Pastor Steve…or Pastor Grayson. I answer to any of them. If I'm not mistaken, you're the folks Martin mentioned from yesterday."

"We are. We enjoyed Martin and Millie, and the tour of your church," Kate answered.

"If I remember what he told me correctly, you must be Kate, Pastor Grayson speculated, and you're Rick…and Jim?" he said shaking hands as he went. "And the young woman with the nice smile and the beautiful long red hair, I understand from Millie is Alexis?" At her nod, he went on. "And this lovely red hair belongs to Martha… Oh, my goodness. Are you Martha Rodgers?!"

"I am," she answered graciously. "It's good to meet you. That's quite a memory for someone working from second hand information."

"They were impressed, even without knowing who you are. My wife and I used to go into the city more often than we do now, and we always made it a point to see you when you were in a new production. What brought you our way this morning?"

"My son's marriage to this lovely woman," she responded, indicating Kate.

"Your son?" They could see the man putting the situation together. "Which would mean Rick is Richard Castle…and Kate is Detective Beckett?"

"Right on the first try," Castle answered with a smile. The man apparently kept up with the entertainment news.

"My wife won't believe this," Pastor Grayson said, shaking his head. "And you're considering our little church for your wedding?" he asked incredulously. "I know you've already seen it. In this area, it's one of the larger churches from its time; but it seats a little under two hundred people. I'd expect you'd have more guests than that."

"No. This wedding will be family and close friends…and the spouse's and plus one's who come with them. This is Joseph Meads. He's going to be coordinating the wedding planning. And we'd appreciate it if you'd keep this to yourself. We'd like to have a quiet wedding if possible. No publicity."

"I understand." He rubbed his beard with his fingers, seeming to be weighing his next statement ahead of speaking. He then asked with a twinkle in his eyes, "I can tell my wife, can't I? She can keep a secret." He rolled his eyes and added, "You can't imagine how many secrets we have to keep stored in our heads in this profession."

Everyone laughed, and about then, a woman with a cheery smile came to the door asking good-naturedly, "Steve, are you almost ready?"

"I might be a little longer, honey. Let me introduce you to these folks."

The woman, whose hair was somewhat whiter than Pastor Grayson's, and whose eyes had the same sparkle, came down the steps to meet them.

"My wife, Angie," Pastor Grayson said. "Angie, I'd like you to meet Martha Rodgers, Richard Castle, Detective Kate Beckett…"

"Jim Beckett, Katie's father," Jim filled in when the pastor ran out of full identification information, and then Jim reached to shake her hand, "and this is Alexis Castle."

"I'm his daughter," she explained, pointing to Castle.

"And I'm helping them plan an important event," they heard from the as yet unidentified third man. "Joseph Meads," he said.

Looking to Castle, the pastor got a nod of approval. "Mr. Castle and Miss Beckett...they're considering our church for the wedding," Steve told his wife. "And you can't tell a soul."

"Well, that shouldn't be hard," she answered. "I'm speechless." Recovering quickly, she asked, "Are you really? This certainly isn't as grand as what you're probably used to."

"We aren't looking for grand," Castle answered. "We're looking for special…and trying to go back to the city this afternoon having found it. Joseph is with us today because he has to work with whatever we choose, and we want to give him a fair chance to do his job well."

"Then why don't I show you around, Mr. Meads? Angie, would you entertain our guests for a few minutes?" the pastor asked as he walked up the steps with Joseph…already talking.

"I really like this place," Alexis said, breaking the ice, and conversation expanded from there.

When they were ready to leave, Castle asked if Pastor Grayson would hold the May dates open for them until Joseph could be in touch one way or the other on Monday morning, and he agreed without hesitation.

They had already seen the beach house inn that Martha had liked so much from the day before, and they sat in the SUV to talk for a few minutes before going anywhere else.

"Pros and cons, Joseph?" Castle asked.

"Cons…it's small and old. There are places to separately house the bride's party and the groom's party, but they aren't at all luxurious…not even a little, to be honest. The reception would obviously have to be held elsewhere. It's right on the road, so security would be more difficult. Pros…It's beautiful. It's been maintained with amazing attention to detail…probably looks very close to the way it did in the late eighteen hundreds, and Rick, I know you love that sort of thing. I love the dark wood pews and trim work. And the stained glass windows…gorgeous. They've managed to install a heating/cooling system that you'd never know is there if you didn't know what to look for, so it should be comfortable for you and your guests." He paused to look at the two fiancés thoughtfully. "And you really love it, don't you…both of you?"

Kate and Castle looked at each other, and slowly, both nodded. "Can you make it work?" Kate asked, not moving her gaze from her future husband.

"I love it, too," Joseph admitted. ""I was making plans every step of the way...couldn't help myself, so I already have some ideas. And it looks like the people we'd have to work with will make it a good experience. That's important."

"What about the inn?" Martha asked. "Could we have the reception there?"

"That would be just about all pros," Joseph decided after a moment of thought.

"I like that," Kate answered. "Do you like that?" she asked Castle.

"I love that," he responded, and they smiled huge, relieved smiles.

"Are they both available on the same date?" they heard hopefully from Alexis.

After checking his notes, Joseph triumphantly announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner," and stated the date. "I don't think we need to look any further."

Seeing the pastor and his wife in their car driving toward the road from behind the church, Castle said excitedly, "Give me one of your cards, Joseph." He pulled out one of his own, opened the door, and flung himself from the driver's seat to jog over and meet the pastor's car.

As they watched Castle, Joseph said, "The next thing we need is the right dress. I'll have to take that into consideration with some of the planning."

"I already have the dress," Kate told him absent-mindedly. "It's kind of non-traditional…in a traditional sort of way."

"You already have the dress?!" Martha and Alexis asked, almost simultaneously.

"Where is it, and why haven't we seen it?" Martha demanded.

"It's in the box Matilda sent it in…in the guest room where maybe your son won't be trying to sneak a look. "I meant to show you, but things got busy and distracting for a couple of weeks. You can see it when we get home."

"Who's Matilda?" Alexis asked.

"Matilda King," Kate answered.

Joseph joined them in echoing, "Matilda King!?"

"A story for later, Kate answered, intent on watching Castle. "What is he doing?"

"Telling them when you're getting married here unless I miss my guess," Jim answered.

"Did you have another question, Mr. Castle?" Steve Grayson asked after lowering his window.

"Not a question…a date….this one," Castle said, jotting a couple of things down on the back of his business card. "We'd like to be married here on this date. Would you be willing to perform the ceremony? One of the guests is Bob Weldon, and I'm sure he'd be willing; but I don't know if his jurisdiction as an officiate extends beyond New York City. That's something I'll have to check on."

"If you need me, I'd be honored."

"I appreciate that you're willing to allow the heathens who don't attend church to be married here. A lot of churches…"

"These days I'm so happy to see people who still want to make a public, lifetime commitment to one another that, regardless of their spiritual status, I'll always be at the altar with the doors wide open, waiting for them. Not that any of you looked like heathens," he qualified with a grin.

"Here's my card. That's my home number on the back in case you need it. Joseph's number is on his card, and he's good about returning missed calls. If it's convenient, he'll be in to see you tomorrow morning, to work out details."

"After ten tomorrow would be best."

"I'll tell him," Castle said. "And thank you for your time this morning. We didn't mean to take up so much of it," he added, reaching to shake the pastor's hand. Stretching his arm across him toward his wife, Castle shook her hand, too. "Thank you for your patience, Mrs. Grayson. We'll be seeing you soon."

"I'll look forward to it," she answered with a warm smile. "It's easy to be patient when you're watching two people so obviously in love trying to be married."

Castle made no effort to hide his smile at that statement, just stood away from the car so the couple could leave; then he returned to his own vehicle, kissed Kate soundly right in front of everybody, and announced, "We have a place, a preacher, and family and good friends to help us celebrate. That's all we really need for this wedding. Anything beyond that will just add to the satisfaction…aaaand I now know on exactly which day I can start calling you my wife," he said to his smiling fiancé. He kissed her again, started the SUV, and asked "Is anybody ready for lunch? Steak, lobster, whatever you want. We're celebrating."

"I think I saw a restaurant near the inn. Why don't we eat there and then go and get ourselves on their calendar, too," Kate suggested. "Let's do that first. And then I'm ready to celebrate, too, because that's the same date I can start calling you my husband."

"Help. Save me, Granddad. I think I might be dying of a massive sugar overdose," Alexis protested, sinking against the back of her seat dramatically.

Jim laughed and patted her hand. "Quite a performance, there. Your grandmother should be proud." Looking at Castle's smiling face where he watched in the rear view mirror, Jim grinned. "Well, you heard the girl. Your child needs…what does she need, Martha…protein?"

"Don't lobsters and steaks both have protein?" Martha asked.

"I need lobster," Alexis answered in her weak, death scene voice, with her hand placed palm out on her forehead…and sunk a little lower so her head lolled on her grandmother's arm.

"Well, if the red hair didn't convince me she's your progeny, this would do it," Jim Beckett stated, looking toward Martha.

"Katherine, I'm going to like having someone else my age in the family," Martha told her.

"What do I have to do to join?" Joseph asked. "My family is never this much fun. It's full of old geezers with no sense of humor. Even the young ones act like old geezers with no sense of humor."

"I guess you'll just have to come and visit now and then," Alexis said, never breaking character.

"Well done, darling," Martha complimented her progeny.

"We'll go to the inn first. If the restaurant near it isn't what we want, we'll find another one," Castle said, making the decision for all of them. "The Williamsons said the whole weekend was open and the entire inn would be available. We can have the reception there and rent the whole place for our guests, especially the ones from the twelfth, for the weekend, too. That way there won't be other guests with cell phone cameras to contend with. Security will be easier because any strangers will be obvious. Joseph knows who we can trust for everything else. We're about to make this work."

With the church and the inn secured for the wedding weekend and Alexis having made an amazing recovery after a good dose of lobster, they went home to pack to return to the city, their mssion accomplished.

Joseph returned to the house with them to pick up his car and go to check in at the hotel where Castle had arranged accommodations for him for the next few days.

"When I get back to the city, I'm coming by for a look at that dress. And Matilda King? I'll be looking for that story, too."

Kate laughed. "Just give me a call," she answered as he got in his car and left.

After everyone's luggage was lined up next to the front door, they all looked reluctant to leave.

"This was fun," Alexis said. "Thanks for letting it be a family project, Kate."

"No need to thank me. I had just as much fun as anybody here."

"It's still early. One more round of coffee before we go?" Martha suggested.

"We'll make the coffee," Castle volunteered, pulling Kate with him to the coffee machine before his mother could get to it.

"Hot cocoa again?" Alexis asked Jim.

"Why don't we just go with coffee this time?" he suggested. "Less to clean up."

"Okay. Want to help me get down the mugs," she asked seeing Castle and Kate leave the coffee machine to do it's magic.

"Sure." As he took the mugs she got down and put them on the counter and lined up the syrups and creamers they all used, he said, "You called me Granddad. Does that mean you've decided you could use one of those?

The girl seemed a little uncomfortable. "It just slipped out. Any time I've thought about having a grandfather, somebody like you was who I imagined," she said without looking up. "It didn't seem like you'd mind," she added hopefully."

"I'll be honored to be your grandfather," he assured her.

"Dad and Grams have always been my only real family. All I can remember of my mother is somebody I visit with now and then. I did _meet_ a grandfather a few times, but I don't really feel like I've ever had one."

"Well, I haven't had a granddaughter before, either. We'll figure it out together," he said with a smile and a quick one-armed squeeze around her shoulders, and she finally looked up and smiled.

After coffee and easy conversation, they cleaned up in the kitchen, loaded their luggage in the SUV, and reluctantly left to return to the city…a much stronger blended family than when they left, and confident that Kate and Castle's 'always' would apply to that, too.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When they arrived in New York, the family's first stop was Jim Beckett's apartment.

"Can I have a minute before you leave, Rick?" Jim asked.

"Sure." Castle got out with Jim and walked to the back of the vehicle with him.

Jim seemed a bit ill at ease about something and finally said, "Listen, Rick, I know we've already talked about this, but I _can_ afford to pay for my daughter's wedding, and I think I should. It still feels wrong to put all of it on you…no matter how much money you have."

"I know you can afford it, Jim, and I never meant to indicate otherwise. But it isn't necessary. I thought we settled this," he said, running his fingers through his hair, showing mild frustration. "Kate and I are both adults, well established in our own careers. Most people our age pay for their own weddings anyway. It's my wedding, too, so it's going to make me just as happy; and I would take great pleasure in giving Kate the wedding she wants."

"And so would I." Jim ran his hand across his hair in a gesture similar to Castle's. "I had almost convinced myself I could let you do it, but then I saw how much she loved that church and how excited she is about the wedding. Then the wedding dress came up in conversation while you were talking to the pastor at the car…and then there was mention of Matilda King." Stopping briefly to collect his thoughts, he explained, "Katie was modeling mostly because she was good enough to make pretty decent money at it. When she came back from Stanford, it didn't take her long to know that she couldn't expect to depend on much from me. She didn't even bother to ask me for anything…just took care of herself the best way she could. She paid her own way through college with the modeling and her scholarships, and then she got into the academy…all entirely on her own. I wasn't even aware of half of what she was doing at the time."

"You don't have to…" Rick interrupted.

""Let me get this out…please. I was a lousy dad back then, and I'll never be able to forgive myself for that. All I can do is be who she needs me to be now. As a father, the three big milestones I believed a I shouldn't miss for my daughter were being sure she always knew she was loved unconditionally, providing her with the education to be successful, and walking her down the aisle at the wedding I gave her. I can't go back and keep her from having to work so hard to get through college, and I can't replace the years she probably didn't feel loved, but I _can_ give her the wedding she wants and walk her down the aisle. I want to take responsibility for the wedding. You and your family are the best things in her life since Johanna died, and I want to be the one to give her the gift of seeing her into that life…sharing it with her friends and family. I owe her that." He paused for a moment, hanging his head at the sordid admissions he had just made, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. He knew Rick was aware of all of it, but it still brought a deep feeling of shame, especially to face it in front of someone who was so protective of Katie. "I _need_ to do that for her." Looking back up at Rick, he made his final argument. "You're a father. Surely you can understand that."

Castle nodded. "Can we compromise? You take care of everything at the church, I'll take care of everything at the inn, and Joseph will run interference for both of us. You give her the wedding, and I'll take care of the reception that starts our new life. "I love her as much as you do; and I need to make her happy, too. Can you accept that arrangement?"

Jim knew he was still getting the less expensive end of the celebration, but he had no doubt that Richard Castle loved Katie every bit as much as he had loved his Johanna. If he could have afforded absolutely everything Johanna had wanted when they were planning their wedding, he would have… He did understand what Rick was trying to tell him. "I think I should do more, but I suppose I can live with that…as long as you give me your word that anything either of you want for the wedding…absolutely anything…you'll tell Joseph to plan it. Don't hold back on my account. Will you promise me that?"

"Deal," Castle agreed and held out his hand. "Thanks for coming with us this weekend. We should plan more family projects."

"I'd like that. It's nice to feel like somebody's family again," Jim answered, taking Rick's hand in response. "I hadn't realized how much I'd missed it until you started sharing yours with me."

After a solid handshake and masculine slaps to the other's arm, the two men got Jim's luggage from the back of the vehicle, and Jim waved to the others as he walked toward his building.

Inside the SUV, three curious women were waiting impatiently to find out what had just happened.

"Is everything okay?" Kate asked, looking concerned.

"Everything is fine. We just came to a gentlemen's agreement about who pays for what. Looks like your father doesn't want to spend my money, either. Must be a Beckett thing," Castle answered as he pulled away from the curb. "Nobody else in the world seems to have a problem with it."

Kate regarded him for a moment before changing the subject. "A month from now, we're supposed to be married. Is Joseph really that much of a miracle worker?" Kate asked.

"If he isn't, I'm marrying you in a month anyway. No matter what, you're going to be my wife on the day we decided. We can always do the big ceremony later if we have to. But yeah, I really think he is."

"I'm okay with being your wife a month from now, however it happens. If he can work his miracle that fast, I'm good with that, too; but one way or another, in one more month you're stuck with me, Mr. Castle."

And at that, they heard applause, hoots and bravo's from the two red heads behind them.

xxxxx

When everyone entered the loft, Castle took Kate's bag and rolled it into their room. While he was gone, Kate whispered to Alexis and Martha. "Guest room…twenty minutes, and I'll show you the dress.

There were excited nods from both the other women, who immediately checked the time in anticipation.

Castle came back from the bedroom with a big smile on his face. "We're getting married next month," he sing-songed at Kate and kissed her on his way to the kitchen. She shook her head as she smiled just as big. "I'm going to unpack our things, she told Martha and Alexis. I'll talk to you in a few minutes."

Castle followed her into the bedroom looking curious. "You're going to show them the dress, aren't you?" When she froze momentarily, he knew he was right. "You've moved in, and the dress in in our house, isn't it?"

"Sometimes you're just too perceptive for your own good. You know that?" and she strode out of the room.

"Come on. He's already figured it out. We might as well go now," she told the others and headed for the stairs.

"It's upstairs?" He asked. "How long has it been there?"

"Richard Alexander Rodgers," his mother began, "you had better not try to see that dress. It's bad luck to see it before the wedding, and you and Katherine have already been through enough, don't you think?"

"Good point," he conceded.

"Oooo, Dad. She whole-named you all the way back to childhood. You're gonna be in big trouble if we so much as catch you on the stairs."

"Another good point," he answered with a chuckle. "I'll be in my study for a while…if anybody needs me…which I doubt."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Richard. We all need you…just not right this minute," Martha scolded.

"We won't be too long," Kate promised.

"Okay." With a little twinkle in his eye, he raced over and gave Kate another kiss. "We're getting married next month," he said with a grin. "I'll be in my study."

"Love you, too," Kate said with a similar goofy grin. "Your son has turned me into a first class sap," she told Martha as they climbed the stairs.

"It's good for you now and then," Martha assured her.

"Is your dress ultra-girly?" Alexis asked excitedly.

"Not exactly…and not exactly not," Kate tried to explain. "I think maybe it looks more like a Detective Beckett wedding dress. It's different. You'll have to see it to understand."

"Well, now I'm really intrigued," Martha answered.

Opening the door and spotting the large box in the corner, Alexis asked "Is that it?"

Kate nodded, seeming a little nervous about opening it.

"First you have to try it on for us, then we want to know about Matilda King," Alexis insisted.

"Okay. Turn around. You might as well be surprised." She took the dress from the box and then went into the bathroom to put it on. After getting herself zipped in and fluffing her hair as much as she could manage, she opened the door and said, "What do you think? I know it's an unusual wedding dress, but…"

"But you love it." Martha said. "I can see it in your eyes. And Richard is going to love seeing you wear it. Turn around. Let us see the whole picture."

"I would never have chosen it for you, but I see what you mean. It's a Detective Beckett wedding dress, and that's who Dad fell in love with," Alexis assured her as Kate turned slowly. "He'll see that, too…and he'll be…"

"Is it gorgeous?" they heard from a masculine voice at the bottom of the stairs.

Alexis went to the top of the stairs and scolded, "You couldn't stay in your study any longer than this? You're not planning to come upstairs, are you?"

"No. I'd tease, but I won't try to see the dress. Does she look amazing?" he asked more softly.

"She looks amazing."

"Does it make her feel beautiful? She should feel beautiful."

Alexis' attitude softened at that. "Yeah. When she put it on, she kind of glowed. I'm pretty sure it makes her feel beautiful."

"That's what counts," Castle answered quietly. Pointing behind him, he said, "I'm going back to my study now…and I'll leave you alone. I just wanted to know…"

"If it made her feel beautiful?"

"Yeah…that," he answered sheepishly, smiled at his daughter, and turned to walk back

"Hey, Dad?" When he looked over his shoulder in her direction, she finished. "We love you."

"I love all of you, too."

"Did you have to fight him off to keep him downstairs?" Martha asked when her granddaughter returned.

"No. He just wanted to know if the dress made Kate feel beautiful. I think you've made him a little sappy, too, Kate. He's back in his study now that I've told him it does."

"That's so sweet," Kate answered.

Well, we know now that your dress is unique…like you… and that you look beautiful and you'll take his breath away when he sees you, and we know Richard is satisfied…at least for the time being...and out of our hair. Now it's time to tell us how you got a wedding dress from Matilda King."

"Let me get out of the dress first, then I'll tell you about it," Kate promised. She came back in the clothes she wore back from the Hamptons and sat down on the bed, and Alexis pressed for answers.

"Did this have anything to do with that case about her assistant being killed?"

"Indirectly. But it goes back a lot farther than that. I suspect it may have had something to do with the discussion our fathers had this afternoon about who pays for what."

"Oh, dear. Not trouble, I hope," Martha said, sounding concerned.

"Between them, no. I think they have too much mutual respect for each other." Looking thoughtful, Kate said, "Martha, I'm pretty sure Castle has told you about the state my father was in after my mother died. This connection goes back that far. Alexis, has your dad talked to you about that?"

"Once…when I was angry with you and he was explaining how hard it was for you to feel trusting enough to let someone be close to you."

"Matilda's name probably brought Dad's guilt to the surface. My father is a recovering alcoholic, and he's been clean for a long time. He's like his old self now, but back then, he wasn't even trying to recover. He… Anyway, when I got home from Stanford, I knew couldn't depend on him for anything, no matter how small. He wasn't even taking care of himself. I knew he had put aside money for me for college, but I didn't know where to look for it; and honestly, I was so hurt and angry and overwhelmed I didn't even want his help…didn't have the strength to try to get it anyway. So I decided I'd figure it out on my own." Taking Alexis' hand, she pointed out, "One of those times of thinking I was being noble when I was just making it harder for myself. Instead of going to someone in his law firm, someone who would know me and want to help, I went to one of the college counselors and found out I could qualify for a couple of scholarships. I had done some modeling one summer when I was in high school, so I used some of what was in my savings account to have some updated professional photos made and put together a portfolio, then I started at the top…with the agencies that paid the most. I thought it couldn't hurt. I could work my way back down the list if I needed to. I signed with a good agency, and Matilda saw something she was willing to work with and gave me a chance…mentored me a little; I never understood why. She always made it a point to know about her employees, so she was aware of my situation. Maybe… No. I really don't know. So, anyway, I used what I earned there to pay my way through college."

"You were my age then, weren't you?" Alexis asked looking devastated. "And you didn't have a Kate to be there when you needed somebody…not even a dad, even though you could still actually see him. You didn't have anybody, did you?" She threw her arms around Kate. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

She held her soon-to-be stepdaughter and said, "It's okay. We're all okay now."

"So you modeled for Matilda King?" Martha asked in awe.

"Not for too long. I had taken college prep courses when I was in high school, so I entered Stanford as a sophomore. I only had two more years of college, when I came back home, and I took summer classes so I could finish in a year and a half...and I got it all done without having to borrow money."

Reaching for her hand, Martha, in her most motherly voice, said, "I wish we could have been there for you then, darling. I'm sorry you were so alone."

"Well, I survived, and I have all of you now…and you were worth the wait.

"Do you have those magazines somewhere?" Alexis wanted to know.

"They're in one of the boxes in storage. Those were still stored at Dad's when I lost so much from my apartment a few years ago. Your dad insisted on getting them so he could see. You know how he is. When he found out, we were in her offices working on the case, and he handled himself reasonably well; but when we got in the car, I thought he might hyperventilate trying to drag all the information he could think of out of me. Then we had to get the box from my dad before we came home that night."

"You don't want people to know, do you?" Martha asked.

"No. Can you imagine what a bunch of police officers could do with a stint as a model? I catch enough flack from Nikki heat. I don't need to give them any more ammunition."

Alexis threw herself back on the bed. "My stepmother modeled for Matilda King, and I can't tell anybody!?"

Kate laughed. "It won't kill you," the girl was reminded.

Alexis grinned at the reference, and agreed, "I guess not."

"You never cease to amaze me, darling," Martha told Kate. "I wish I could have met your mother…to see the other half of how you were built of such sturdy stuff. I think maybe a Detective Beckett wedding dress is entirely appropriate for you." Standing, she added, "We should probably go back downstairs. Richard is probably at loose ends and wishing for company."

"Do you have room for my dress in your closet, Alexis? I don't want him to be too tempted to sneak a look. A bored Richard Castle can get into a little mischief sometimes."

"You don't need to tell me about that," Martha said wryly. I've been well aware since before you were born."

"Kate laughed. "Not a doubt in my mind about that, Martha."

"You didn't have a Kate to look out for you, either, did you?" Alexis asked her grandmother rhetorically. "I'm sorry you had to be alone, too. I'm so lucky to have both of you." From where she stood hugging Martha, she told Kate, "Grams and I will get the dress into my closet before we go to bed."

"Thank you…both of you."

"I'm going to see my fiancé…alone, for a few minutes, please. I think he may be feeling left out."

"Of course, dear, Martha answered. My progeny and I will be down after we get the dress into her room."

Castle looked up when Kate walked into the study and closed the door behind her. His laptop was open, but it was obvious nothing productive was happening. "Hey," he said softly. "Were they suitably impressed?" he asked holding his arm out to invite her closer to him.

"If they weren't, they let me think they were," she answered, lowering herself into his lap and planting a little kiss on his lips. "They did agree that it's a Detective Beckett wedding dress and that it suits me."

"I can't wait to see you walking down the aisle in it. A month, Kate. One month. After all the time and struggle to get here, we're going to be married in one month."

"Yeah," she breathed out softly. "Hard to believe, isn't it?"

They eased toward one another and into a long gentle, loving kiss, then sat in an easy embrace for a couple of minutes.

"I didn't know I could be this happy," Kate said, breaking the silence.

"It makes you that happy to think about being my wife?"

"You know it does."

"Maybe I just need the reassurance of hearing it now and then."

"Any time you need it. Always," she answered. "I told Martha and Alexis I'd only be a few minutes, but I really like where I am."

"Then stay here. I'm sure they'll forgive us."

"Okay," she answered, not moving. "One month. You're all mine in one month."

"I've been all yours for a long time, Kate."

And that called for another kiss.

xxxxx

It seemed unbelievable to Castle and Beckett how fast a month could fly by when juggling the long days of a homicide detective, the demands of a writer's mind, the needs of family life, general daily necessities, and the planning of even a simple wedding and reception.

Joseph did indeed prove to be a miracle worker. He seemed to have well-gauged the preferences in the shared connection between the couple, nailing the idea of simple but elegant from the start; and he consistently brought them collections of samples that they were happy to choose from. He knew who to call for both top of the line work as well as a full understanding of the term discreet. On the day he returned to the city, he brought Kate and Castle a selection of invitations to choose from, and had their selection prepared and in the mail before the following weekend. That same weekend, to get an idea of Pastor Grayson's connection to his congregation, the man had even attended a service at the church where the wedding would be held. Joseph found that Steve Grayson's delivery of a service and a sermon was as easy and pleasant as his general demeanor; so the decision was made early that Bob Weldon could relax as a guest and the pastor would perform the ceremony.

His several sketches of the sanctuary and the reception area were beautiful and hard to decide between; but as Joseph reminded the couple, they chose the date, the clock was ticking, the materials had to be ordered, and they had to bite the bullet and make a decision quickly. He only pushed when it was absolutely necessary, but then he didn't hesitate.

The family was kept up to date on what was happening, and emails constantly flew back and forth between the six people who had enjoyed a pleasant, decision-making Sunday in the Hamptons so recently, questions or suggestions making their way back to the planner when it seemed warranted. Wanting to keep everyone in the loop, Rick and Kate had asked Joseph to copy the emails to the entire family; the one thing to be left only for Castle and Jim was the cost. That one detail, the three men were to discuss exclusively among themselves, in spite of Kate's protests.

Two weeks before the wedding, when Beckett traded on call weekends with another detective so she could be in the Hamptons for a second planning session, Joseph had already proven himself worth every penny of whatever the two men in Kate's life were paying him…and rather than highly stressed, he seemed to be exhilarated at meeting the challenge…exuding a take charge attitude along with the excitement and good humor that relieved the stress on those he was working with.

By the week before the big event, there were certainly still things to be done; but Joseph did seem to have worked his miracle, and he appeared to have the preparations running smoothly. So far, there seemed to be no major drama involved…he just calmly went about his miracle working.

xxxxx

Kate walked into the precinct early on the Wednesday before her Saturday wedding and sat down at her desk. She had barely been there long enough to fire up her computer when she heard Karpowski's voice saying, "Hey, Beckett, I've got something for you," and she saw the other woman walking in her direction with a beautiful arrangement of white lilies.

"Thank you," Kate answered, taking the vase of flowers from her.

"They came this morning, so I signed for them," Karpowski explained. "You're in early today. I'm just getting things together to close out my night shift."

"Trying to tie up all the loose ends before we leave on Friday," Kate answered, opening the card.

"Who are they from," the other woman asked.

"It says 'From your secret admirer'," Beckett answered, smiling. "Probably from Castle. He knows these were my mother's favorite flowers, and he's been trying to get me to think of the good memories more than the missing her. While we waited for a lab report day before yesterday, we talked about how Dad and I brought her a bouquet a lot like this one when I was about ten, and how excited she was."

"I keep waiting for the universe to drop a Richard Castle on my doorstep, but it sure is taking its sweet time about it. I'm really happy for both of you. I know whenever you do this wedding, you're doing it kind of small; but I know you'll have a video, and I'm gonna want to see it. Understand?"

"I'll be sure you do."

Karpowski gave her a smile and went to finish out her own loose ends so she could go home.

When Castle came in about an hour later, Beckett looked up as he placed a large cup of her favorite coffee on her desk, and simultaneously they said, "Thank you for the flowers. That was sweet." and "Beautiful flowers. Who sent them?"

"Wait," Beckett answered. "You didn't send them?"

"No. Wasn't there a card? Should I be jealous?"

She showed him the card. "Should we worry?"

"Let's try not to unless we see a reason," Castle suggested, "but let's not be stupid enough not to keep our eyes open for one. It does feel a little strange."

Castle stayed for a while and then stood to leave to take care of some last minute errands before the wedding.

"Call me…or text where you're going if you have to leave the precinct, and I'll meet you." Pointing to the flowers, he added, "Just in case."

"I will," she agreed…just in case."

xxxxx

When she arrived at the loft at the end of the day, Castle poured her a glass of wine and nodded toward the kitchen counter to an envelope with her name on it.

"That had been pushed under the door," he told her. "I found it when I got home."

Kate picked up the envelope and opened it to find a beautiful card. When she read it, all the color drained from her face. "Castle, I'm looking at a reason to worry."

He took the card from her shaking hand and read the neatly typed message.

_You and your mother were so close._

_Maybe you'll see her again soon._

_Enjoy the flowers._

_Your Secret Admirer_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Castle?" She turned toward him, obviously frightened.

He threw the note back on the counter and pulled Kate into a desperate embrace. "They won't win, Kate. We won't let them. We're going to have our wedding, we're going to have babies, and we're going to get old and gray together. That's how it's supposed to be."

"How do we stop them? Who is 'them'?'Who are we trying to stop?"

"I don't know" he answered." We'll talk to Gates first thing tomorrow. And we're taking the car service in the morning...a driver we know we can trust. Gates isn't going to let you out of the precinct after she sees that note, anyway. We're going to be careful; I'll get extra security for the church…and for the trip to the inn."

"If they're going to kill me, why couldn't they at least let us enjoy our wedding first?"

"Because you threaten them. They don't know if you really have anything on them or not; but you make them nervous, so they can't enjoy doing any of dirty work without looking over their shoulders. Therefore they need to do the same thing to you." He paused for a moment and kissed her forehead comfortingly. "Do you think it's Bracken or Tyson?"

"With our luck they could have found each other and started working together," she answered peevishly and burrowed her face against his chest.

"What's your best guess with no more than we what we have right now?" he asked, still holding her tightly.

After a moment, Kate said, "The note and the flowers smells like Vulcan Simmons work to me. Every time we cross paths, he seems to take perverse pleasure in taunting me about my mother…about pushing all those buttons and seeing me react. Even when my head was being shoved in ice water, he couldn't let it go. He had to talk about her. Thinking through this note, I can almost hear his voice reading it…and that insane laugh of his following it. It makes my skin crawl."

"So, if it's Simmons, that means it's Bracken again."

"And another hit man…so I can meet my mother on the other side?"

"Not happening, Kate. Something is going to stop him. Don't go after him again…please. At least marry me first…let me know how it feels to call you my wife, and then we'll do whatever we have to do…together."

What about Martha and Alexis…and my Dad? Do you think they're in danger?"

"Tyson seems to be focused on both of us, but Bracken seems fixated on you. He might go after me, but he hasn't yet. I think the rest of the family is okay…but that doesn't mean there won't be security for them. I need to make a couple of phone calls. Those burners we bought back in the fall are still in the safe if we want them, aren't they?"

"They were last time I thought about them," Kate answered.

"We may need them later."

"Close all the curtains? Make it as hard as possible for them to see us? Right now I don't feel like tough Detective Beckett. I know how much we have to do before Saturday, but all I want to do is curl up with you…in our bed. Make love to you, in case it's the last time."

Castle could feel her sliding into vulnerability, approaching a panic attack…thoughts of Vulcan Simmons, a large tub of ice water, and an assassin likely to be a formidable part of the reason.

Still holding her close, he insisted, "Don't talk like that. We aren't giving up."

"Humor me anyway? I need you close," she pleaded.

That the experience at the hands of Vulcan Simmons had brought her to the point of pleading for her fiancé to stay close and look out for her ripped at his heart, but he was grateful that she would now turn to him for comfort, being honest about what she needed.

Moving away from her but not releasing her hand, he led Kate to their room and started doing as she requested. "I'm going to close the shades and curtains in the bedroom, and you can lie down a while, where you feel safe. I'll make some phone calls, arrange security…text Mother and Alexis and call your dad. I probably need to call Joseph, too. Security at the church was one of the concerns he mentioned, but he was only thinking in terms of fans or reporters."

"Isn't Joseph still supposed to be here tonight to finalize schedules?"

"That's right. I had forgotten. We'll break it to him then. He needs to know what's going on. I'll make the calls from here, right beside you if you'd like...but I need to make those calls."

Kate nodded and took off her jacket and her boots before she stretched out on top of the covers. After Castle settled himself against the headboard, she snuggled herself as close as she could get, rested her head on his thigh, stretched one arm over his other leg, closed her eyes, and stayed there while he made his calls.

xxxxx

A large monitor with a bank of adjustable windows was feeding surveillance footage from several places, and recording it. There was a dismal looking warehouse and its office, another office in a government building and the office of a private home, as well as the entrance to an apartment, and the open bullpen of a police station.

"Arrogant idiots," the man watching the display grumbled to himself. "Think they're invincible." He clicked the remote in his hand, and a wall slid in front of the surveillance monitor, leaving it effectively invisible to anyone in the room. Then he picked up his wallet and his keys, pocketed them, and left for his actual job, the one his country was paying him to do.

During the day he accomplished what was necessary, then went back home where he could check his surveillance wall again; and what he saw and heard in the recordings as he isolated each watch area infuriated him. Pulling up the real-time feed, he saw that one of the objects of his wrath was in his home office, talking to his cohort as if they could defeat him. Then, knowing the major problems both his surveillance subjects were causing, he started mapping out plans.

The following day, he would make it his business to gather every scrap of information he could glean about the intent of the pair he was watching. By the end of the workday, he would have his own plans in place, and they weren't going to know what hit them.

The first thing he needed to do was to have a package delivered the following morning.

xxxxx

On Thursday morning, Captain Gates received an extremely early call on her home phone.

"I apologize for calling so early, Sir," Beckett began.

"Do we have an emergency, Detective?" Gates asked, sounding awake but as if she were torn between annoyed and concerned.

"Not exactly, but we do have a…a situation we need you to know about. Can we treat you to breakfast somewhere away from the office?"

"Is this a department situation or a wedding situation? I'm aware that you're up to your eyeballs in both."

"It could be both, but we'd rather not discuss it at the precinct."

"Where would you like to meet?" the captain conceded.

She was given the name of a restaurant with a breakfast buffet. Castle knew the wait staff would find him an out of the way table if he asked, which he would do immediately, and Gates agreed to meet them there forty-five minutes later.

At the restaurant, the captain was shown the note, given their theory, and having crossed paths with some of Simmons work, was in agreement that he was a highly likely suspect. She qualified her opinion with, "Being aware of the cases associated with him in the past, I'm also aware that he seems to be coated in legal Teflon. Charges were rarely brought because there was always a strong alibi. Even when Detective Beckett was well aware that Simmons was in the room with her, handling her torture in a remote area, he appeared to have an airtight alibi in New York City. And rest assured, my part in getting you into that mess still haunts me, Kate. I'll never trust one of my detectives to another unit again…not without having a hand in their back-up. And Mr. Castle, I won't leave you out again, either."

"I don't want her undercover again at all." Castle told her. "She's been through more than you know…and what you do already know should be enough for anybody."

She looked at them inquisitively but moved on when there was no further explanation. "How would Simmons know to send lilies?' she asked.

"I don't know. If someone were watching me long term, they may have picked up on the fact that it's what I always take to the cemetery for my mother, but I haven't visited in a while. We've been kind of busy lately."

"Who else knows the significance of the flowers?"

"Not many. It isn't something I talk about. My dad, maybe Lanie or an old friend, Madison. And Castle. I think I mentioned it to him a few years ago, but it didn't come up again until recently."

"How recently, and where?"

"Tuesday. The lab had just called and said they were about to email the information we were waiting for. We were sitting at my desk talking while we waited."

"Was anybody close by?"

"I don't think so," Castle answered. "Only Ryan and Esposito at their desks, if I'm remembering correctly." He looked to Beckett and she nodded her agreement.

"Then we could have a mole," Gates speculated, "or a bug…or both. "I'm going to arrange for tech to do a surprise sweep of the homicide floor…and we'll be watching for anybody who looks nervous. And we need to pull surveillance of the bullpen…for probably the past month…see if we find anything unusual. The two of you can handle that. You're not going in the field until we have something resolved about this…situation." She appeared to be reaching for her purse but stopped to ask, "What other things have you dealt with, Detective? Does it have any bearing on this case…anything that could help us?"

The couple looked questioningly at each other, and Castle, seeing reluctant approval in Beckett's expression, answered quietly enough to be barely audible across the table, so they all leaned in a little to speak.

"We know who Lazarus is, and he's the Teflon that protects Simmons. He's the one who ordered the hit on Johanna Beckett and her friends and both hits on Kate…but the proof we thought we had is gone. His threat against Beckett has been hanging over our heads for a while now."

Kate took over from Castle, further explaining, "I had managed a truce with him, based on having just enough to convince him we had everything but wouldn't release it if he backed off. But then, when he didn't allow his assassin to kill me after Simmons was through with me, he had her give me the message that Lazurus didn't want me to die...that we're even now. We know Simmons has been in on the drug operation since the beginning, but their operation is huge now; and I think Simmons is tasked with arranging the hits, too. Everybody who has tried to give us information about this is dead...everybody but me; and according to all odds, I should be, too. We're not going to give you his name because we don't want to lose anybody else we care about. We've talked to people who had first-hand knowledge of the beginnings of his power, so we're sure we're right. We just don't have enough concrete proof to do anything about it."

"Aside from not having done his due diligence, that incompetent fool from the narcotics unit had no idea whose toes he was stepping on when he sent Kate into that. Once she was there, it looked like she was working the case again; so it turned personal again." Castle nearly growled.

"My God, Detective. How long have you lived under this pressure?" Gates hissed quietly.

"Since the last hit man and my suspension."

"More like from when she was shot at Roy's funeral. Even when there was a truce, the possibility of another hit was always out there...lurking in the shadows," Castle interrupted. "The man is merciless, too powerful to touch. And now he's put her on notice again."

"I don't know how you can function at all, Kate, let alone normally."

"Sometimes it isn't so normal," Beckett admitted, placing her hand lovingly around Castle's, "but Rick is always there, too. It helps."

Gates nodded in understanding, and then she stood. "Thank you for breakfast. I'll see you at the office and get the ball rolling…and I'll pull that surveillance footage as soon as I get there so Ryan can set it up for you in one of the interrogation rooms."

"Thank you, Sir," Beckett responded.

"Thank you for this, Captain," Castle said, standing. "Breakfast was the least we could do, when we were dropping all this at your doorstep."

"Both of you be careful. You aren't walking to the precinct this morning, are you?"

"No. I called the car service…a driver I've worked with for years."

"Good. See you soon."

Well, we spilled a little more information than we'd intended. I hope she doesn't show us how she became the youngest female detective on the force until you came along," Castle said as he signaled for the check. "She could be up to her ears in trouble right along with us."

xxxxx

The remote was used to open the surveillance wall again, and the recordings from the night before were played. The man watching turned up the sound to hear the conversations and took notes now and then on what he found. After an hour of watching and planning, he got dressed, slid the camouflage wall back in place, picked up the package he had prepared the night before…the one addressed to Richard Castle, and set out to put his plan into motion.

By that evening, he knew exactly what was going on in all camps, and he was ready to begin.

xxxxx

Results that Castle and Beckett got from their own surveillance duty didn't reveal much in general, but one of the other detectives on the homicide floor had seemed to spend too much time within listening distance to the couple in the past few weeks. They had hit the jackpot in the footage from the week before, though. The same man was seen standing at Beckett's desk, looking around a nearly empty bullpen, then opening the top drawer, sticking his hand inside, palm up, removing it, then leaving quickly.

"That was Evans, wasn't it?" Castle asked. "Did he just plant a bug?"

"That's what it looked like," Beckett answered. "Let's get through the rest of this and I'll get a glove and check." She added that to the notes and list of time stamps on the other suspicious moments they had found, and they kept looking.

About half an hour later, Gates came in to check on progress, and they showed her what they had.

"I talked to someone I trust in tech," she reported. "He's bringing a team of three in about twenty minutes, so it shouldn't take long. I wanted to give you a head's up so you can help me watch. Evans is definitely on the watch list. Let's see if anybody else is worth looking into."

"Thanks, Captain. We'll keep an eye on the time," Beckett told her.

The captain went back to her office, and Castle and Beckett went back to the last couple of days of surveillance video they had left. Everyone else seemed genuinely surprised and confused as to why tech was scanning. Three listening devices were found, one in Beckett's desk, one in the break room, and one in the captain's office. Captain Gates took the man with whom she had arranged for the scan into the hallway near the elevator, away from the bugs, gave him evidence bags, and told him to do things in whatever order would be most productive to provide the most information. I want to know where the transmissions were going, I want to know if there's any way to identify who provided the devices, and I want to know whose fingerprints are on them. And tell the lab the life of a police detective is in danger and it goes to the top of their list.

When the tech team came in and started their search, Evans had looked uncomfortable and had surreptitiously glanced in the direction of Latham, another member of his team. After that, they had consciously avoided looking at each other.

By the afternoon, Castle and Beckett had found nothing more incriminating than what they had already found. They did, however find a couple of moments when one or the other of them had reached for the other's hand or Castle had sneaked a kiss to Beckett's brow or a quick one to her lips as he was leaving. When they came to those they grinned and played them back a couple of times. Their best find in footage of themselves, though was what the rest of the team referred to as eye sex. No part of them was touching. Each was simply looking into the other's eyes, but there was something there that anybody with eyes would recognize as love. They went back to that one until Beckett warned that they were in danger of wearing it out.

"I guess I know now why there were so many bets on us so long ago," Castle commented as they stacked the DVDs to return them to the captain. "We've been doing that for almost as long as we've known each other. Look at all the time we wasted."

"Thank you for hanging around until I finally came to my senses," Beckett answered.

"Always," Castle assured her, and drew her in close for a chaste but loving kiss before returning to the bullpen.

The report from the lab came back late in the afternoon, and the captain came to let Beckett and Castle in on the results.

"The feed couldn't be traced, they're working on identifying the devices and who may have provided them, and Evans' fingerprints were on all three of them, Latham's on one."

All six feet plus of angry Castle exploded from his chair and turned toward the other end of the bullpen looking dangerous. Simultaneously, Beckett grabbed his arm with both hands and Captain Gates, in her most commanding voice, said sternly, "Mr. Castle!"

He was seething with anger, but the two women had managed to get his attention.

"He's not worth it, Rick," Kate said softly, since everyone in the large room had seen and heard the sudden outburst. Turning away from the rest of the bullpen to keep it only between the three of them, she reminded him, "We're getting married day after tomorrow, no matter what, remember? And I don't want it to happen in a jail cell. Okay?"

Turning away the same way Kate did, Gates joined the argument. "As much as I'd like to go over there and help you do it, I can't let you beat down two police officers on my watch. Besides, somebody invited me to what I'm sure will be a lovely, memorable wedding and promised a nice weekend in the Hamptons, and I'm expecting him to deliver on his promises. Think about what you're doing, Mr. Castle.

The warnings from both women didn't lessen the anger, but it did serve to bring back some control. "I'm not going to hit anybody, but I'm going to be sure they know who they were helping." Seeing Kate's concerned look, he said, "In control. I promise."

He picked up the note from Kate's desk, put it in his coat pocket, and strode directly to the desks occupied by Latham and Evans.

"How much did he pay the two of you for bugging the precinct?"

"What are you talking about?" Evans asked, the color fading rapidly from his face. An angry Castle at full height was a formidable sight.

"Stop the act. Both of you left fingerprints on those things. We have video of Evans planting one in Kate's desk, and footage for the same time from the camera near the break room and the captain's office would probably be just as revealing. How much did he pay you?" he repeated through gritted teeth.

"How much did who pay us?" Latham asked, apparently still deluded enough to think they might escape responsibility for…something.

Castle walked to the center between the two desks and put one hand on the corner of each desk, leaning over menacingly before looking at each man individually. It would have been intimidating enough if he had shouted, as everyone watching probably expected; but instead, he said in a stage whisper that filled the room, "Vulcan Simmons. How much did he pay you to spy on your own precinct?"

"We never had anything to do with Vulcan Simmons."

"However he got to you, it was Vulcan Simmons," Castle seethed, but still menacingly calm. He was now being careful not to ask questions that would have a confession thrown out in court. "The same Vulcan Simmons who we know but can't prove had something to do with Johanna Beckett's death…the same Vulcan Simmons who interrogated the woman I love while his thugs water boarded her…shoved her head in ice water repeatedly and then ordered them to shoot her when he got nothing…the same Vulcan Simmons who taunts her about her mother every time their paths cross…the same Vulcan Simmons who sent those lilies yesterday because he heard us on your bug saying they were her mother's favorite flower…the same Vulcan Simmons who left this note under our door yesterday afternoon to follow the flowers." He was still in control, but his voice had risen in volume with each statement of Simmons atrocities. Standing and taking the note from his pocket, he dropped it on the desk. "Read it, Evans. Out loud. I want to know you read all of it."

After the note was read aloud, with other detectives in the room straining to hear what was written, Castle stated, "Her mother is _dead_, gentlemen. You do understand the implications there? This is who you were planting bugs for. We went through surveillance from the bullpen this morning and saw Evans lurking around us within earshot for several weeks. Then we realized Latham was in the break room more than usual when we went to get coffee. What did Simmons want to know?"

"Wait a minute, we weren't listening for Simmons, it for was that reporter from…" then he stopped himself, looking defeated after what he had just admitted.

"Reporter?" Castle asked incredulously. "What did the reporter want?"

"The date of the wedding and where it would be," Evans muttered.

"So you were paid twice? Once to sell us out to a reporter and again to sell out Beckett, the captain, and anybody in the break room to a big time drug dealer?"

At that, he turned to walk away in disgust and found Beckett and the captain standing close by, leaning against the wall with their arms folded.

"Admirable self-control, Mr. Castle," Gates said quietly, barely moving her lips. "In my office now, gentlemen," she said sharply.

"No telling how many cases that could be compromised," somebody said. "Everything goes through the captain's office."

"Good thing it was Castle instead of me," everybody heard from Brennerman, who was at his desk in the back corner. "I'd have beat 'em first and talked later. You two be careful. You got to get married pretty soon. We still got bets going on that.

"Sorry you had to go through all that, Beckett," Karpowski sympathized, walking with Kate toward the break room. Now I feel guilty about bringing you the flowers yesterday."

"Well, I enjoyed them while I thought they were from Castle. The note we found at home…not so much. I think I need coffee, too. This has been a long couple of days."

"Sounds like it isn't over. What are you going to do about the threat?"

"Well, he kind of did us a favor to warn us, but the whole thing is…" Kate seemed to be weighing and balancing something before she softly told Karpowski. "I'll get our coffee, and you go to the restroom; and on the way back, check to make sure nobody else is listening."

"You sure know how to get a girl's curiosity up. Be right back."

Kate had coffee ready when Karpowski came back, and they both sat at the table.

"Not a soul following you this time, Beckett. I can't believe they'd do that. And how stupid can they be to plant bugs in a police station? I used to think they were pretty normal."

"Money does strange things to people, and I'm sure Simmons paid them well. So yeah. Right now they aren't looking like the brightest bulbs in the chandelier."

"So why, may I ask, was I suddenly in need of a trip to the bathroom?"

"Money," Beckett said with a grin.

"Hey. You don't think I'd…"

"No…no. We've been doing each other favors for a long time. I just thought I might help you with your bet. I'm not too fond of the idea of people betting on my love life. At least I'd know somebody I like would win."

"For real?"

"Yeah. I don't know what's going to come of that note, but Castle has security full time for the whole family…including my father. The reason Simmons sent the flowers yesterday is probably that heard us talking about the wedding and wanted to do something to spoil it for us, but it isn't going to stop us. When I leave here this afternoon, it's going to be the last time you'll see me as a single woman. We'll be back two weeks from Monday, and I'll bring that video you want to see."

Karpowski put her hand over her mouth, her eyes conveying the excitement she wasn't allowing herself to voice, and said, "I'd squeal and all that, but I'd give you away."

"And probably spoil your payday," Kate said with a laugh.

"Yeah. That, too," the other detective answered. "But the threat. Will you be some place safe?"

"Like I said, Castle has security everywhere. These are people who have handled security for him since Alexis was little…people he trusts, and last night he called and added some heavy hitters to what we had before. We'll also have the people who travel with the mayor of New York, and a small contingent of police guests, who we may ask to come armed. I doubt we could be any safer. When we set the date, we promised each other that we'd be married that day no matter what; so even if we're with the pastor, hiding under the stairs at the church…with the family peeking out from a closet across the hall…come hell, high water or hit man, we're getting married on Saturday." Taking a sip of her coffee and smiling, she whispered, "Don't tell."

Karpowski chuckled and said, "I think I'll go try to look innocent while I decide the best way to go about changing my bet...and deciding how to spend my winnings."

Castle came in when Karpowski was leaving. "Have a great weekend, Castle…both of you. Stay safe."

"Thanks," he answered, "You, too." Turning to Beckett, he asked "Are you ready? Security is outside with the driver. I hate that we're having to worry about this so close to our wedding."

"Me, too, but we're still getting married on Saturday. I want to hear you call me your wife."

They left the precinct, waving toward the varied expressions of "Be careful." Then they left the precinct and hurried toward the waiting car.

xxxxx

When they arrived at home, the doorman greeted them and pulled something out from behind desk in the entrance.

"This package came for you this morning, Mr. Castle."

"Thank you. I hope you were told when you came on shift that no one is to enter my loft for any reason without my consent. We're dealing with a bit of a security situation and don't want it to disrupt our weekend plans."

"I was, and I understand, sir."

He started to open the package in the elevator, and Kate pointed out, "You might want to wait to open a package with no return address until we aren't dangling from a cable in a box over a deep hole."

"Good point," he said with a smile. And he kissed her instead."

Inside the loft he opened the package and found a book, _Casino Royale_. The note in it said, "Enjoy your wedding. Things are under control."

xxxxx

Taking another look at the real-time feed on his monitor, the man ascertained that his subject was at home in his study. He watched with interest as the phone in the study rang and the subject picked it up and said, 'Hello.'"

Then Jackson Hunt, using the latest, state-of-the-art CIA toy to mask voice recognition, observed the other man's response as the odd-sounding voice greeted him. "Hello, Senator," Hunt began.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Who is this, and how did you get this number?" Bracken blustered.

"This is your worst nightmare," Hunt said calmly, "and Senator, I have _so_ much more than your phone number."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Do you know who you're dealing with?"

"I know exactly who I'm dealing with. Let's start with drug and ransom money used to fund your first campaign for City Council, shall we? We could add murder for hire, drug operations on a grand scale, Vulcan Simmons and torture, big drug money funding your run for president, illegal wiretaps, blackmail, threats…do I need to go on?"

"You can't possibly prove I've done anything wrong," the senator argued, but Hunt could see him sit down heavily in his chair, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top button on his shirt. He was looking panicked. "Who are you working for? What do you want?"

"For right now, I want you to know that I could bring you down tomorrow if I want to, but I'm going to let that hang over your head the same way you had Vulcan Simmons threaten someone else yesterday. You should be looking over your shoulder, too. Don't you know it's bad form to upset a bride and groom right before their wedding? Everybody at the twelfth knows it was Simmons."

"You're working for _her_, aren't you?" he snarled. "Why does it always come back to _her_? She didn't have anything when she wanted a deal before, and she still doesn't."

Hunt watched Bracken's face change from panic to pure rage. 'Good,' Hunt thought. If he goaded Bracken enough, got him angry enough, he might say something they could use against him. He knew Bracken hated Beckett because she had managed to get around him…she was still a thorn in his side, in spite of all the efforts he had made to get rid of her. He hadn't been able to entirely break her yet, and he wasn't used to that. She was unpredictable and tough, and she made him worry.

"You went with the deal for a while. What makes you think she has nothing now? What makes you think that, after Simmons' threat, she won't pull out whatever she has against you and hand it to her favorite reporters? Then, if anything happened to her, you'd be the first suspect." Hunt prodded.

"She's smart. If she had anything, she would have figured out how to use it by now."

"Maybe she actually has the integrity you lack and keeps a bargain when she makes one. She did save your worthless life in spite of what you had already done to her."

Hunt smiled at Bracken's facial response to that reminder.

"She has nothing to prove a single charge she's made against me. You're part of another bluff."

"I don't believe anyone has heard her make so much as one single public claim against you."

The senator's face was even redder and more contorted, and Hunt knew Bracken was having to admit to himself that Beckett, in fact, had never made a public charge against him. He was losing an argument that was abruptly thrust upon him in the privacy of his own home, and Bracken was not a man accustomed either to being surprised at home or to losing arguments. He looked livid, at the very edge of his normal control of most situations.

"You've had Detective Beckett shot once, and nearly dropped off the side of a fifteen story building later. If she's holding up her end of the bargain, why do you want her dead so badly?"

"Because she won't let it go," he shouted. "Her mother was the same way."

"But you successfully killed her mother."

"Neither one of them can mind their own business. That detective is like a ticking time bomb, waiting to blast my hard earned career into tiny pieces as soon as she has the chance…but she isn't going to have the chance. If she lives through the wedding, she sure as hell won't last long enough to enjoy a honeymoon with that writer of hers."

"You going to kill him, too?"

"Only if he gets in the way, and don't think I won't find you. I have eyes and ears everywhere, and I know you have nothing.

"I'm sure you'd like to believe that, but I have things the detective doesn't even know exist…video, audio, police files, affidavits… If you don't want to believe me now, you might want to wait until tomorrow night before you do anything drastic. You'll see that I can produce everything I say I can." With the same calm, smooth delivery he had used throughout the conversation, Hunt added, "And, senator…you _won't_ find me." With that statement, Hunt ended the call.

When Bracken realized his unidentified caller had actually mustered up the gall to call his private line at his home, antagonize him, and then hang up on him, he slammed the phone back into the charger, pushed the button on his walkie, and bellowed for security.

Hunt was smirking as he watched for the defining moment when the senator's face would reflect the connection between his ire inspired self-incrimination and Hunt's claim of having audio and video that could be used against him. Bracken paced frantically around his luxurious study, red-faced and impatient, hitting things in his way as he waited for his chief of security.

The CIA actually sought out Jackson Hunt's particular talent to be their solution of last resort. The FBI had agreed that the CIA's unidentified asset could work in the background to try to avoid that last ditch solution, allowing him whatever resources he needed, his activities covered completely by their carefully, covertly obtained warrants and court approved documents. After they realized the scope of the senator's illegal activities, they had weighed their choices and decided to gain enough information to prove as many of them as possible before they moved on the cases. When the investigation turned up international drug and arms trafficking and multiple shill businesses and their accompanying international bank accounts, the FBI called in the CIA. Then, when Bracken announced his run for president, they decided their charges against him had to be made sooner rather than later. The man could not be allowed to run the country, so work went on around the clock to accomplish that as quickly as possible.

In spite of the collective desire to be rid of him, they had no desire to simply take the senator out. Every judiciously chosen officer, agent, and judge involved in the two year investigation wanted to see Bracken suffer the humiliation and emotional pain of falling off the pedestal he had built for himself with the public. They wanted to see him locked in a maximum security facility for the rest of his days, not simply snuffed out to possibly end up looking like a martyr.

Hunt had to admit he preferred the former choice, too; but a well-aimed bullet would certainly be easier than this pussy-footing around. He had to admit, though, he was presently having some fun.

When Bracken's chief of security came in, the senator angrily shouted, I just had a call on my private line…the voice was scrambled, and he sounded like a threat. I need a trace on that call. I want to know who he is and where he is…now! Get somebody on it. Put extra security outside from now through the weekend. And find out who's been snooping around…anywhere. Businesses, home, offices here or in New York, anywhere you can think of."

"Yes, sir. On it," the other man answered, and then left the room, calling an order to someone else in the hall.

Bracken picked up his private phone, and Hunt waited in anticipation. Aaaaand there it was…the look on the senator's face…the defining moment. The man had just realized he allowed himself to be goaded into confessing the intent to murder a police officer…and to someone he couldn't identify…someone who spoke of audio evidence…and he hadn't even thought to deny responsibility for two other attempts to kill the same officer…or the murder of her interfering mother. The senator went pale as he sunk into his desk chair saying, "Oh, God," over and over. Hunt had made his impression.

Appearing to recover from his temporary stupor, Bracken did what he did so well. He opened his desk drawer, pulled out what appeared to be a burner phone, and called Vulcan Simmons…to place the blame on someone else.

Simmons, conveniently was at the warehouse supervising the delivery of a new shipment of drugs when his phone rang, and Hunt was as close to giddy as someone like Hunt ever got. The monitor showed both men's faces and both ends of the conversation…and it was recording. Jackson Hunt went to the fridge, got himself a beer, and sat down on his sofa to enjoy the show.

"Simmons, what the hell have you done?"

"Exactly what you told me," Simmons answered, instructing someone else to take care of the shipment and striding angrily over to a space where he wouldn't be heard. "I arranged the hit, arranged for the money to go through several accounts, starting in the Caymans, going through Europe and Africa, and arriving here from Dubai. Our employee should be in place in the Hamptons tomorrow afternoon. And Detective Beckett got the message."

"And how exactly did you deliver that message?" Bracken asked through gritted teeth.

"I had a little fun with her," he laughed. She gets so upset when somebody talks about her mama. "I heard her talking to the writer, so I sent an arrangement of what she said was her mama's favorite flower…and a note later saying she might meet her mama soon. His laugh at that thought sent Bracken over the edge.

"She isn't the only one who got the message, you idiot! I've been told that everyone at the twelfth knows it was you. Now you have me on the radar of someone who isn't on_ my_ radar, and I don't like that.

"I should have killed her myself while I had them holding her head in the ice water instead of leaving to that incompetent who let her get away."

Bracken didn't mention his part in letting her get away. What Simmons didn't know wouldn't cause him trouble.

"What did you pick up from the twelfth? Anything we should worry about?"

"That's why the shipment is already here. There were rumors about it last night…hints they might be looking around at the original delivery time, so I moved it up a few days."

"Anything new since then? What does your audio tell you?"

"We had a problem with the feed this afternoon. I'll check with my men there tomorrow morning. See if we need to replace anything."

"Has there been any mention of me since we talked last?"

"Nothing. It's like they forgot about you."

"Nothing at all?"

"That's what I said, Senator. What's this about? You're getting on my nerves, and we need to move this shipment fast. I'm still working on early delivery to our contacts. If you don't plan to come down here and handle it, then I don't have time for this."

"The man who called…he mentioned things that sounded like he could be dangerous. Security is working on tracing the call and finding him. We should know something by morning. Check with your people at the twelfth first thing tomorrow and find out what's going on there."

"First thing," Simmons agreed. "Now I've got work to do." He ended the call and went back to take over, issuing orders about transporting the drugs out of the warehouse as quickly as he could make arrangements with the distributors.

Bracken looked at his phone in angry disgust. Twice that evening, someone had hung up on him. He slammed his phone into the desk drawer, and stormed out of the room.

Hunt laughed. A perfect ending for his entertainment. Then, not able to pass up another chance to impress Bracken with what he could do, he called in an anonymous tip to narcotics and hoped they handled it better than they had handled Beckett's undercover assignment. He then stacked the copies of his most recent report and a copy of his talk with Bracken, as well as the subsequent call between Bracken and Simmons, put them in a padded envelope, then called his CIA contact and informed him they would be delivered their drop point.

xxxxx

When they received the package from Castle's father, Castle and Beckett felt a lot of the worry lift from their shoulders. He may have been a poor excuse for a father; but, at least in Castle's narrow experience working with the man, he seemed to be on top of everything that had to do with the case he was working on…showing up out of nowhere when the time was right and disappearing back into nowhere when the job was done. If Jackson Hunt said things were under control, they probably were, but that didn't mean Castle would be cutting back any of the extra security measures he had put in place the night before. He'd rather spend more for no good reason than need the security and not have enough.

The couple called Gates to let her know what they had received, giving her an explanation of the source of the message that seemed plausible enough for their perceptive captain to accept.

xxxxx

The following morning it wasn't the captain who received the early-morning wake-up call.

Kate's phone rang when it was barely light outside. She fumbled for the phone on the bedside table, answering from her pillow, but with her customary sharp, business-like, "Beckett." Seeing that it was the captain, she put it on speaker, knowing Castle would be distractingly curious.

Therefore, the business-like tone of Beckett's answer was immediately ruined by Castle's sleepy mumbling of, "Who is it? We aren't working today."

"Would the two of you like to meet me for breakfast again? I don't know if it has any bearing on what you know or need to know, but there are a couple of things I think you might want to be aware of before you leave for the Hamptons…and a question if you feel comfortable answering it. And we all need to eat, right?"

"Yeah, everybody but Beckett, who thinks she can live on coffee. Same time, same place?" he asked, not able to stop a yawn between the two sentences.

"We can make it half an hour later than yesterday if you need more time, Mr. Castle. I won't keep you long. I know the two of you have a full day ahead."

"Half an hour later it is, then," he agreed.

"We'll be there, Beckett told her with an amused chuckle." She ended the call and put the phone down as Castle wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Do you think we have time for…"

"Shower…now, and we'll see," she answered, rising and heading for the bathroom, and Castle seemed to have gained a sudden burst of energy.

They arrived at the restaurant right under the wire…hungry and content.

Captain Gates was already there. "Sorry to drag you out so early on a day off," she apologized.

"Why don't we get what we want from the buffet, and you can tell us why we're here," Castle suggested.

Once seated at the table, they started their meal and then started their conversation.

"What happened with Evans and Latham?" Kate asked. "If you feel free to tell us," she added.

"That's one of the things I wanted you to know. I received word that they had both been placed in protective custody, along with their families…by whom, I don't know. They were taken to a safe house almost as soon as they left the precinct."

"I suppose when you fail Vulcan Simmons, you need to be careful," Kate commented.

"I understand they can't be reached by phone, which means if Simmons wants to contact them, he'll have to send someone to ask about them. We'll be watching to see if it's someone else from the precinct…or another part of the department.

"What else do we need to know?"

"Based on an anonymous tip that came in last night, there was a record-breaking drug bust in a warehouse near the docks. There had been rumors of the shipment coming in on Sunday, but the tip said it was moved up to last night, had been delivered, and was being prepared for distribution. Several teams were sent out, a lot of arrests were made, and the drugs were seized. Vulcan Simmons and two of his top brass were caught on camera leaving the warehouse. That was pure luck, as far as we can tell. There was a camera they may not have known about…one from another warehouse…one very recently installed as far as we could tell. At any rate, we have time stamped video of the three of them. He won't be able to hide behind one of his bogus alibis this time, and the New York City end of his operation is dangling by a thread for the time being. But if the man I think is behind him, it won't take long to rebuild somewhere else."

Jotting something down on a notepad she took from her purse, Gates pushed the note, which only said, "Bracken?" across the table to the couple who sat on the other side.

When Beckett lowered her eyes and Castle looked grave, and neither of them answered, she had all the answer she needed. "That's what I suspected. The pieces started falling together last night when I couldn't sleep. The discomfort the senator seemed to feel when you were assigned to run his case, the comment I heard while I listened to you interrogate the man who wanted to kill him, the, the assassin telling you that you and Lazarus were even, the massive money laundering process you saw feeding money into a superpac…followed by his entrance into the presidential race with what was called a huge war chest to fund him… It's no wonder you… No. We won't go there today. The two of you have better things to do with your time."

"Don't pursue it, Captain," Beckett pleaded softly. "We've already lost Roy over it. We don't want to lose you, too.

"Don't worry, Detective. My instincts for survival run deep. I know how to be careful. And we'll explore the connection to Roy another time." Reaching to gather her jacket, purse and keys, she also took the bill folder. "My invitation, my bill, she explained, put her card in it, and waved the waiter over to hand it to him. "I'll meet you at the hostess desk, she told him." Looking back at her detective and her writer, she said. "It seems you can relax a little bit about your trip to the Hamptons today, but don't let your guard down entirely. The two of you are difficult to take care of, but you're too good to lose."

Castle stood to gentlemanly help Captain Gates with her jacket. "Detective Beckett," he said with a hint of mock insult, "I believe the captain just paid us what my mother used to call a left-handed compliment."

"Funny, Mr. Castle," Gates answered with a little smirk, "My mother used the same terminology." She allowed a moment for that comment to sink in, then looked directly at both of them and said, "I'm looking forward to tomorrow. See you then. Stay safe."

"Thank you…for everything," Beckett told her. She watched the captain leave before turning to Castle again as he sat down next to her. What do you make of it…Evans and Latham in protective custody…big drug raid based on a tip?"

"I'd say something is going on in the background…and Bracken is likely to be worried about it. Regardless of the note, I'm glad we have the extra security for tomorrow, because nothing is going to get in the way of this wedding."

After a quick little kiss, they went back to gather the few things they hadn't packed yet to be ready to leave for the Hamptons.

xxxxx

It was early morning, but the monitor wall was open again, and Hunt was making his morning coffee as he observed.

On the other side of the screen, Senator Bracken was also having coffee in his home office as he watched the morning news. He checked his watch as the news anchor reported the seizure of an unbelievably large cache of drugs at a local warehouse during the night.

"No!" he exclaimed, knocking the rest of his coffee over as he stood in shock. "No!" He grabbed a fistful of tissues from the dispenser at the corner of the desk and mopped up coffee as he watched the picture of his warehouse come into view on the screen. The next "No." Became a quiet moan as he sat staring at his building on the screen, like seeing an oncoming train wreck you can't look away from.

As he took the burner phone from his desk drawer, a member of his security team called him to let him know his driver was waiting to take him to work; so he shoved the phone in his pocket and left.

Hunt closed the monitor from view, satisfied with his work so far, then picked up his car keys and his phones, and left for the Hamptons. He was certain he would find the subject of his next project there.

xxxxx

Based on his personal experience in preparing for one of his assignments, Hunt went in search of an assassin...probably a sniper. That would be the best approach to a job where there would be so many witnesses. In reality, their jobs were different only in the legality of the mission…and generally in the innocence of their subjects, so he could be pretty certain the object of his search would show up in the same places he would have chosen.

In the past week, a little earlier in the game than he normally would, he had looked over both the church and the inn and decided the inn offered more opportunity for the best view and access to the targets and the best cover and avenue of escape for himself. That decision having been made, he found a secluded place to sit and watch, and he settled in to wait.

It was still the off-season at the Hamptons. The properties nearby were empty for the next couple of weeks, the inn would be empty until late this afternoon except for the wedding preparations going on inside, and those people were too busy to notice. Security would arrive with the Castle party, possibly with a scout sent an hour or two ahead to look things over. As long as his counterpart from Bracken's camp had done proper homework, he shouldn't have to wait long.

Half an hour later, someone appeared from the direction of the next closest house to his left, carrying what looked like a large, heavy duffel bag. Ah. He had chosen the woman. Good choice. With her looks, if she laid on the charm, any man who questioned her that morning might end up carrying her rifle bag for her without knowing he was aiding and abetting an assassin. He knew her reputation, and she was good, but she wouldn't be expecting someone else just as good or better to be working against her. He waited until she had chosen a place and was completely engaged in checking her preparations before he used all his stealth to slip up behind her. Just before he grabbed her, she noticed a shadow, turned quickly, and made an effort to knock his feet from under him; but he was faster and knocked her out with the butt of his gun. He really hated hitting women, but he hated losing…to anybody…a lot worse. Pulling zip ties from his pocket, he bound her hands and feet and took a syringe from his pocket, injecting something into her arm; then he called his contact and went back to his lookout post.

FBI agents arrived almost immediately in a non-descript SUV rather than the plain shiny black vehicles that all but have 'MIB on board' placards hanging on the back windshield. They loaded her into the back along with all her gear, cleaned up the area like nothing had been there in days, then drove off.

When a man got out of his car at the inn, Hunt recognized by his bearing that he was probably Castle's scout. While the other man was inside announcing himself to the inn's owners, it was time for Hunt to go.

xxxxx

Castle and Beckett registered at the inn for the night and went to their room to unpack what they would need for their overnight stay.

"Do we have everything we need?" Kate asked.

"We have the marriage license. That's at the top of the list. I have everything that goes with my tux. I've needed it so often that I finally bought a garment bag with accessory pockets. Every one has its own purpose, and if they aren't all filled, I know I've forgotten something. Of course, I don't know about your dress because no one will let me see it," he teased, brushing a little kiss on her lips as he walked by to hang the tuxedo bag in the closet.

"Martha and Alexis are bringing the dress when they come in later. They promised to go through the checklist twice to be sure they didn't miss anything."

"Including underwear?" he asked. "Do they get to see the underwear? I'm looking forward to seeing that, too."

"Of course there's underwear, but I have it with me. You're the only one who gets to see that."

"Is it special wedding night underwear?" he asked, his mind now entirely removed from unpacking."

"Yes."

"Do I get to see it," he asked playfully while lifting clothes in the corner of her suitcase with one finger.

"No, I want to surprise you…but I think you'll like it. And you can't see it nnow anyway. It's in its own bag," she said, slapping his hand away.

"A surprise will be okay because my _wife_ will be wearing it." His manner changing suddenly, he said, "I love you so much, Kate."

"I love you, too," she answered and turned into his arms for a long, loving pre-wedding day kiss. As they stood with their foreheads pressed against each other, coming back down from the kiss, Kate said, "As much as I'd rather stay here doing this, we have things to do, places to go, people to see. One more day and the wedding madness is over. Where's our list?"

Castle took his notebook from his shirt pocket and handed it to her. "We should probably find Joseph and see if he has anything to add before we meet him at the church," Castle suggested.

When Kate went to hang her dress for the rehearsal and dinner, she glanced at the tux bag and smiled. As she picked up her purse and the notebook, she asked Castle mischievously, "You don't have your Batman boxers in that accessory pocket, do you?"

"The ones with the Bat Signal in the front so you'll know I need you?"

"The very ones," she laughed.

"Nah. I'll save those for after we're married and you're stuck with me."

As they reached the door, Kate stopped and looked over her shoulder at him flirtatiously. "Just for the record, Babe…you don't need the bat signal to let me know you need me. It's always been impressively obvious."

"Pre-wedding ego boosting. I like it," he answered.

Another laugh, another kiss, and they left on their rounds for the day.

xxxxx

Senator William Bracken was pacing furiously in his DC office, door closed and burner phone in hand as he waited for his calls to Vulcan Simmons to be returned. When the phone finally rang he had worked himself into a substantial snit and looked nothing like the smiling, in control politician the public sees on television.

"How did you let this happen?" he asked in a harsh whisper. "Do you have any idea of how much money we lost?"

"I didn't _let_ it happen, and of course I know how much money we lost," was snarled back at him. "I took all the precautions we always do; but out of nowhere, what looked like the entire narcotics units from about six precincts burst in, and they were swarming all over the warehouse. I'd have sworn I even saw a few feds. They arrested about two thirds of the men we had working, and I barely managed to get away with Bradley and Ferguson. It's more than money. We're gonna have to do a lot of rebuilding."

"What happened to the product?"

"It was seized…loaded on a truck and removed."

"Was there anything to identify us?"

"No. You know we're careful about that."

"Well, at least there's that. Are your feeds from the twelfth working again? Anything useful coming from there yet?"

"No. Nothing since yesterday afternoon."

"Have you talked to your guys on the homicide floor. What do you have?"

"Nothing that's gonna make you happy," Simmons answered.

"I'm already not happy, Might as well tell me."

"They found the bugs and identified my people. After finding the ones on the homicide floor, the captain had the whole building scanned…found all of them. We have no more electronic access to the anything at the twelfth."

"What about the detectives who were caught?"

"I don't know. I can't get in touch with them, but my man in Narcotics said they were taken to the captain's office. He said they were sent home, and nobody's seen them since. This all happened after that Castle guy laid into them, using my name a lot. The whole floor heard him standing up for his woman and trashing me…making accusations."

"We need to get rid of him, too. Even if we get her out of the picture, he's probably going to spend the rest of his life trying to prove we did it. I can come up with enough cash for a second removal without raising any eyebrows. Call our woman in the Hamptons and let her know. And find your two moles."

"We're trying, but we…"

"Then call them…mention their families, make a few threats if they don't cooperate."

"You think I'm too stupid to think of all that? I've been trying to reach them all morning, but all the calls go to voice mail. I even sent a fake delivery man to each house with a package the guy needed to sign for. Their families are gone, too. Nobody home either place."

Bracken was pacing again, running his hand across his hair, when his secretary called in to announce that his next appointment had arrived. "Two minutes," he told her. "I can't ignore this appointment. "Keep me posted, understand?"

Hunt watched with interest. The FBI was getting more active. He'd bet good money they had contacts at the twelfth, too. They probably scooped up the families as soon as they were aware the two idiot detectives had been exposed and put them all in protective custody.

While the senator was meeting with a group looking for his support, Jackson Hunt made a copy of the revealing conversation he had just heard. After the meeting, he called to further worry Bracken.

"Have you found me yet?" he asked.

"You!" What do you want now?"

"I hear you lost a little product last night. Isn't it amazing what one well-placed tip can do?"

"Remembering the audio his unknown tormentor had mentioned the night before, the senator answered, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Whatever you say, but I don't believe a word of it. I thought I'd let you know that you may not be able to depend on that employee in the Hamptons this weekend. Someone removed her from the premises. I don't know where she is; but I can tell you, wherever she is, she's loaded up with sodium pentothal. If they ask her, she's likely to tell whatever she knows. Still think you should ignore me? Have a nice day." The call ended, and Hunt watched the senator throw his phone down and completely lose it.

He grinned, called his contact, and left to drop off the next installment of the saga of William Bracken's downfall.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Castle and Beckett were as happy to take care of the remainder of their wedding responsibilities as they were content to allow the security people Rick had employed to worry about any possible threats or any hint of stray reporters. Since their engagement was announced, they had had a few random encounters with members of the press who had been acquainted with Castle through all the phases of his adult life. Questions had been asked about the wedding, but he had fielded them as well as a politician, leaving those members of the press with ambiguous answers. It seemed that, so far, their wedding plans had managed to fly under the radar; and Joseph, using his expertise in dealing with such situations, had practically become another member of the family in the past month.

Their first stop was the church. Pastor Grayson, promising not to preach a sermon or evangelize, had insisted on a pre-wedding counseling session. The three of them talked for about an hour, the pastor making suggestions and asking questions. He seemed to be happy with the answers they gave, and they assured him that, during the six years they had known one another, they had already learned the lessons related to most of his suggestions the hard way…through sometimes painful trial and error.

"Then let's get you married," Pastor Grayson said, leaning back in his chair.

"I'm ready," Castle answered reaching to where Kate's hand was resting on the arm of her chair.

"Me, too, she agreed as he folded her hand in his.

Steve Grayson watched the way they looked at one another…and he smiled, thinking that, churchgoers or not, these were two good people who were devoted enough to one another that they would probably be together until "death did them part." They were still young enough to have a full life before them but mature enough to know and appreciate what they had found in one another, and it created a warm place in his heart to know that he would be the one to make them legally a couple. That was something important in his eyes, and he could see that it was important in theirs as well; but in truth, he doubted it would change the lifetime commitment they had already made to each other if it never happened.

"And I look forward to helping you with that," he answered. "Angie will be at the rehearsal tonight. If there's anything either of us can do to make tomorrow easier for you, please don't hesitate to ask."

Rehearsal time was verified for early that evening with dinner to follow at a restaurant about halfway between the church and Castle's home in the Hamptons. The couple then turned their attention to the rest of Joseph's list for them, getting back to the inn late in the afternoon. After speaking to Martha and Alexis and then taking a long, indulgent and thoroughly satisfying shower, they managed to be appropriately dressed before their guests started arriving.

Martha and Alexis had checked in just before Castle and Kate returned from completing their few required tasks and were waiting in the inn's spacious common room to assure Kate that everything she needed for the wedding was with them.

Among those from the twelfth, Lanie and Esposito arrived first, closely followed by Ryan and Jenny, who were looking forward to two nights of really good sleep…or whatever else might happen blissfully uninterrupted…without having to worry about Sarah Grace, who was safely in the hands of Ryan's mother. Maddie, as well as Captain Gates and her husband, would be there in time for dinner and would meet them at the restaurant. It looked like their plans were moving like clockwork. Joseph was a well-appreciated man at the moment.

Cars arrived to take the wedding party to the church, where they first worked out the unusual best man/groomsmen arrangements and then moved on to the bride and groom. Lanie insisted on the old southern tradition of the bride having a stand-in…usually the maid of honor…so she didn't walk down the aisle or stand at the altar until the actual wedding, and Kate finally gave in and allowed Lanie to walk down the aisle with Jim Beckett while the bridal music played.

Martha assured Kate this wasn't unusual. "My family has southern roots, and I saw this when I was growing up. I was a flower girl or a bridesmaid at a few weddings for cousins or aunts before I struck out on my own,"

Kate was accepting it until her father and Lanie had almost reached the altar where they would meet Rick, then she strode down the aisle, her long legs covering a lot of ground rapidly and hip checked Lanie out of the way.

"Sorry," she grinned. "I was okay with my dad walking you down the aisle, but nobody gets to stand at the altar with my man ever again. You can practice your maid of honor duties now." She took the rehearsal bouquet from Lanie, then she met Castle and accepted the little kiss that came with the amused smile on his lips. Still looking at Castle while obviously talking to Lanie, she stated, "You're going to need to take this in a minute," she said, holding up the bouquet, "and then I'm gonna need that pretend ring."

The rest of the party was obviously enjoying the show.

"She sounds just like her mother," Jim quipped. "You're in for it, son."

"As long as she's pushing her way over to me…no problem," Castle grinned.

"Always," Kate answered flirtatiously and took his arm, bouquet in hand.

When the time came to pass the bouquet, Lanie snatched it from Kate's hand, saying, "There was no need for violence, girlfriend. I know better than to move in on your man." Then Kate was on the receiving end of the hip bump, and everybody laughed. After the minister talked them through the responses to the vows and the exchange of rings, Lanie opened her mouth as if to say something, but Kate interrupted with a another grin and said, "Shut up and give me my pretend ring," inciting a few more chuckles.

Following the doling out of the limited instructions left, Pastor Grayson said, "And then I pronounce you man and wife."

"And now I get to practice kissing the bride?" Castle asked enthusiastically.

"Might as well, the pastor agreed. I doubt I could stop you anyway."

Castle made a big show of kissing the bride, leaning her back over his arm in the process, and they both came up laughing, hearing the hoots and whistles around them.

"Then I introduce your new status to the congregation and you walk her down the aisle."

"You sure we don't need to practice the 'kiss the bride' part again?" Castle asked mischievously.

"I think you have that down to a science, Rick." Pastor Grayson answered. "Now walk her down the aisle, get the rest of the wedding party out and let's get these people to the restaurant. Everybody is tired and hungry."

A chorus of agreement went up, the bridal party exited, and after a couple of questions and reminders, they got into the waiting cars and left.

xxxxx

Rent on the small apartment had been paid in advance with an agreed upon date of departure. The wall monitor had been dismantled, the false wall taken down, and arrangements had been made for its pick-up and removal, leaving the apartment looking as if it had never been there. Jackson Hunt had delivered the last of his recorded evidence to his contact's drop box the might before and was now packing his newly acquired tux and accessories. He wouldn't make himself obvious, but he was going slip into the festivities to see his son finally marry a woman he really loves…and to get another look at his grown-up grandchild…and Martha…and the man who had already begun to take the place in his family that Hunt should have occupied. He was happy for the family that someone would be there for them in that capacity, but he couldn't deny the pangs of jealousy and regret that came with the knowledge.

xxxxx

Maddie, closely followed by the captain and her husband, checked in, were shown to their rooms, and met for the first time in the large foyer. It was easy to identify each other as wedding guests, since those were the only people at the inn other than staff and security. One of the security men showed them to a car which was waiting outside to take them to the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. By the time the wedding party made it there, the three new arrivals had been there for about ten minutes and were talking like old friends. Maddie had already offered them a complimentary dinner at her restaurant.

Alexis had insisted on doing her best man and family of the groom duties, and had worked with Joseph to assure that anything they did had no memories of either ex-wife attached. The restaurant they chose for dinner was deemed acceptable because it was an excellent restaurant run by people who had not been in the Hamptons until a couple of years ago…and it therefore fit the within the post-Gina era criteria.

Everyone in the group was dressed for a nice dinner but made every effort not to look like a wedding party as they entered the building. The private room where the dinner would be served would allow the group to speak freely when the doors were closed; so once inside, Kate and Lanie were bumping each other out of the way again, and Castle was being asked by the boys if he couldn't get his woman under control.

"Can I at least sit by your man at the table," Lanie asked, laughing, and Kate gave her a heavier hip bump. "You better watch yourself, friend," Lanie warned. "I've got more ammunition than you with that skinny little butt of yours."

Captain Gates and Maddie were both watching the other two women joking and laughing, each of them looking pleasantly astounded. Gates had never seen Kate Beckett so free and relaxed, and Maddie hadn't seen that side of her since her first year at college…before her mother's murder.

Once everyone was seated, Captain Gates introduced her husband, Douglas.

"Everybody calls me Doug," he said, standing and reaching to shake Castle's hand.

"Rick," Castle told him.

"Kate Beckett," Kate said, calming down a bit without giving up her big smile, extending her hand, too.

"You've been very generous, Mr. Castle."

"Rick," he reminded.

"Rick, then. You have us feeling like royalty."

"And I hope you'll feel that way for the rest of the weekend. You've taken time to come and help us celebrate, and we want you to enjoy being here." Motioning for another couple to join them, he started introductions among those who hadn't met. "I'd like you to meet Pastor Steve Grayson and his wife, Angie. Pastor Grayson is performing the ceremony tomorrow…and Joseph Meads, who against all odds, has put this weekend's events together in one month."

The introductions continued and moved around the group with appropriate explanations of everyone's relationships to Rick and Kate, and by the time everyone could identify everyone else, they were all seated at the one large table. Several waiters came in to take orders, Rick having told everyone to order anything they wanted; and after that cacophony died down, the chatter among the almost married couple and their guests quickly replaced it.

At one point, the boys admonished Castle about making Beckett mad before they came to work. "Because you know when she comes in mad at you, she takes it out on us," Ryan complained.

"Yeah. I think every time that happens, each of us should get use of the Ferrari for a week," Espo added.

"A week?!" Castle protested.

"You have a Ferrari?" Doug Gates exclaimed, looking impressed.

"Bright, shiny red," Esposito answered, nodding to affirm the Ferrari's existence.

"Does that mean I get it for a week every time you annoy Vicky?" Mr. Gates asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

There was an explosion of laughter from Castle's family and everyone associated with the precinct, leaving the others wondering what brought that on.

"If I made that deal," Castle answered, "I might as well just bring it over and leave it parked in your driveway. I'm sure you've heard stories."

"Maybe a few," Doug Gates answered with a grin, and his wife swatted his arm. Then those in on the joke began explaining to the others.

Captain Gates' husband was a personable man, obviously intelligent, with a good sense of humor and a quick wit. He was tall, dark skinned, attractive, and easy-going. Everyone from the precinct already liked him; and sitting beside him enjoying the easy atmosphere of the party was a softer version of Victoria Gates than they were accustomed to seeing. No one there would presume to push beyond the level of respect due the captain of the precinct, but they could certainly enjoy seeing her relax for a while in their company.

Conversation travelled from subject to subject with people moving to stand and speak to others at different parts of the table when something caught their attention. When the meal was served, everyone returned to their seats; but the conversation continued, someone making contact with someone else farther down the table now and then, echoing a thought or joke from an earlier conversation. By the end of the meal, the group was very comfortable with one another. Castle's family seemed to draw that out of people.

Since she knew they had been disappointed about the best man position, Alexis left the toasts to Ryan and Esposito that night. There was much mention of how much in denial the engaged couple were to have taken so long to see what everyone else could see from the beginning…how the people around them had suffered through all the missteps with them; but the overwhelming theme was how happy they were for their friends.

xxxxx

When he last spoke to his contact, Hunt had been told that the recordings he had sent would provide the FBI with the last evidence they needed to be sure that neither Bracken nor Simmons would be granted bail or be allowed out of a prison cell once they were arrested. There were still a few international charges on the table; but they could now get the men in jail and have enough solid indictments to divide themselves into two groups...one finalizing what they had for presentation to a judge, and another completing the evidence on the international charges once the two men were in jail. They now knew that the CIA's unknown asset would not be needed, even though he had more than earned his keep with his surveillance duties; so the FBI took over the surveillance…minus the running commentary Bracken was getting from Jackson Hunt.

Hunt felt better about Castle and his new wife living through their wedding unscathed, but he still felt the need for one more phone call to be sure that happened. He brought up Bracken's cell number on his burner phone.

When Bracken answered, Hunt asked, "Have I convinced you yet that this weekend's wedding should be a peaceful, pleasant event?"

"You win for the weekend, but I make no promises about later. And you'll be included in whatever that entails when I find you."

"I _can_ make promises about later, but I'll leave that for you to think about. And I've already told you…you won't find me. I won't be calling again unless I hear of trouble this weekend, and if you doubt that I can follow through on any of my claims, check the desk drawer in your study." At that, he hung up, smiling at the thought of the sputtering and the demands made of the man's security team that he imagined were coming from the senator on checking his desk drawer. Bracken would find the envelope Hunt had slipped in and delivered the night before after driving to DC and back to New York City overnight. The note simply said, _"They never knew I was here."_

Jackson Hunt's job being done in the city, he loaded his things into his car and drove to the Hamptons. There he moved into the place he had rented overnight and finally allowed himself a good night's sleep.

xxxxx

When the cars left the restaurant with the party's attendee's, they returned to the inn, where the members of the group were left to their own devices. The pastor and his wife got into their car to return home, thanking Castle for a memorable evening. The others who remained lingered for a short time in the common area downstairs before separating for the evening…for a walk on the beach, a nightcap at the bar, a little quiet time on the porch in the soft spring breeze… The inn was originally intended to be just that. It had the look of an old family beach house, very well-maintained, meticulously appointed, and arranged so there was a generous apartment on one end of the first floor for the owners and a large guest suite with an inconspicuous entrance on the other side of the common area. On the two upper floors, were large, well, decorated rooms intended to make wealthy guests happy without being overdone.

Castle, having been a more than gracious host all evening, was ready to have his fiancé to himself. When the others had dispersed themselves well enough that it was easy for him to wander away with Kate, he took her to a corner of the room where they could speak freely, as long as they were quiet, and pointed out, "This is the last night of our lives that we're going to be single."

"You still okay with that?" she asked, placing her hands on his chest and playing with a button on his shirt.

"Tomorrow afternoon can't get here fast enough for me," he answered, and planted a tender little kiss on her lips. "What about you? Still ready for this?"

"I kind of wish we could chase after the preacher and his wife and have the wedding now."

With a look of both joy and love, Castle took her into his arms and held her lovingly. After a long moment, he said softly, "Since that isn't an option right now, shall we go to our suite and have one more night of mind-blowing, single people, love-making?"

"Then tomorrow night we'll have mind-blowing married people love-making."

"I promise."

"Okay," she answered with a mischievous smile.

"I think Alexis and Joseph and our parents are all on the front porch. You go and take care of whatever you need to work out with them for tomorrow morning, and I'll get us a bottle of wine." He started to turn toward the bar, then he turned back to whisper playfully, "Do we need whipped cream…chocolate sauce…ice cubes…"

"I think the wine should do, don't you? Although, you can opt for the ice cubes if you want," she whispered seductively as she trailed her hand down his arm and walked toward the front porch to talk last minute details with Joseph and the family before she and Castle retired to their large downstairs suite for the night.

xxxxx

When the prospective bride and groom woke up the next morning, thoroughly satisfied after their night's activities, Kate put her hand over his eyes. "You can't see me, remember? I promised your mother and Alexis…and Lanie and Maddie, and…"

"Everybody says I can't see you, but nobody said I can't touch," Castle answered. "Can we sneak a shower before you meet them?"

"You have to keep your eyes closed," she answered, warming to the idea. "We need a shower anyway…just a shower, right?"

"If you're going to be a spoilsport," he answered.

"If the shower was anything like last night, your daughter would know as soon as I walked into the room, and I'd be totally embarrassed. Just a shower. Deal?"

"Deal," he grumbled.

Pulling the covers over her head, she said, "Get out of bed and get the shower ready and call me. Then you close your eyes…and we'll figure it out from there."

About half an hour later, after an enjoyable shower game of touching without looking, Kate left Castle to take care of his own wedding day preparations...with his eyes open... closed the bathroom door, got dressed, and gathered her things to move in with Alexis until time for the wedding.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Kate knocked on Alexis' door, and the younger woman answered it right away, greeting her with a hug.

"Before five this afternoon, you're going to be my stepmom. My dad is so happy, and so is Grams, and you're going to look beautiful, and…"

Kate laughed. "I'm glad you're so excited. Do you think I could put things down? Then I'll hug you back and we can jump up and down and squeal if you want to."

Alexis laughed, too, "Sorry. Here, let me help. She took Kate's overnight bag, and they put the purse and the large gift bag she had with her on a chair in the corner of the room.

"Now, I can hug you, too," Kate said, pulling Alexis into her arms. "Before five this afternoon, I'm going to have an intelligent, gorgeous stepdaughter."

Pulling away and sitting down on the bed, Alexis answered, "I wish there could be two of me this afternoon. Dad always needs help with his tie. He never can get it straight, and he's going to be a bundle of nerves and need somebody to keep him calm…not because he's nervous about marrying you, just because he can't make time move any faster so he can see you. But I want to see you in your dress and hear all the girl talk, too."

"You'll be in on everything before we leave for the church, and you'll change into your dress with us there…then you can go back and fix his tie and be Daddy's little girl and sooth his ruffled nerves."

"Are you nervous, Kate?"

"Only about the possibility of tripping halfway down the aisle and falling on my face, or something equally embarrassing, but not about getting married," she told the girl she already thought of as her stepchild. She sat down on the bed with her and said, "I can't wait to marry your father. I'm not the least bit nervous about that."

"I used to doubt you, but I don't anymore. I want you to know that before the wedding."

"Is that you giving us your blessing?" Kate asked, smiling and taking her hand.

"I guess so," Alexis said with a smile.

"Nothing much is happening until later in the morning. What do you say we go down for breakfast, just us? I could use some coffee."

"That would be great. Should I tell Grams?"

"Is she awake?"

"I don't think so. Last night she said she had set her alarm, but it was for about half an hour from now."

"Then let's let her sleep. Let's go have our last 'almost stepmom/stepdaughter' breakfast together. By the time we have dinner tonight, it won't be 'almost' anymore. I can lay claim to the whole family." Kate opened the door and held out her hand, and Alexis took it.

"I still can't believe you're that excited about the whole family thing," Alexis answered as they walked down the stairs. "We'll be wandering around the loft interfering with your newlywed time."

"There might be moments it would be nice to be alone," she answered, "like the moments you wish you were back in the dorm or had your own place again so nobody would be poking around in your business, but mostly I like having family around. And it's great that you include my dad sometimes."

"We really like your dad. He…I don't know…fits us. Like he was meant to be there."

"That's how it feels to me, too. It's nice."

"Wait here, Alexis ordered. She left Kate on the stairs and went scouting for signs of her father before they went into the small area that was set up for breakfast. "All clear," she reported when she came back.

Kate went straight for the coffee, and Alexis told her she'd be right back. I'm going to kill two birds with one stone. I'm going to use my best man job as an excuse to arrange for breakfast to be taken to the groom…and that means the groom won't be out here finding the bride having coffee." She went to her dad's room, talked for a few minutes, told him not to go into the breakfast area for a while, gave him a kiss, and went back to get coffee and join Kate.

"All taken care of?"

"Yep. I ordered for him, and he promised to stay in his room and behave; but he said to tell you he'd rather be out here having coffee with you."

"I'd rather have him out here with me, too. This afternoon seems so far away. All the avoiding each other seems so…silly. And I miss him…which seems silly, too. It's only a few hours."

"But it's part of the fun. And if you don't stay away, Dr. Parish would kill you before you get to marry him."

"No, she's waited too long to see this to kill me before it happens, but there would definitely be a scene." Both women laughed at the truth in the statement.

In order to allow for work on setting up and decorating for the reception that evening, breakfast had been set up as a buffet in a corner of the large common room, so they helped themselves and sat down to enjoy it just as Mr. and Mrs. Gates came in.

"Do you mind if we join you?" the captain asked when they came back with their plates.

"Please do," Alexis offered.

"We love this place. We've decided we'll have to vacation here sometime," Mr. Gates said as they sat down.

"We took a walk along the beach last night when we got back from dinner. I had forgotten there could be a place this peaceful," Captain Gates added.

"It's easy to forget about places like this when you spend most of your time in the homicide division. You're free to enjoy it for most of the day…then we'll confine you for a little while again," Kate said with a little grin. This time of year, you can find lots of places to shop or sight-see with no crowds. I saw brochures near the front door."

"And Dad and I have been coming to the house here since I was little. We've been to most of those places. I can show you which ones are worth it if you want."

Doug Gates left and came back with a big handful of brochures, and they all looked through them and traded opinions. Alexis pointed out the few places she was sure didn't open until Memorial Day and some other places they had really enjoyed…and mentioned where she and her grandmother and her friends liked to shop.

"There you are darlings," Martha Rodgers said, making her own normal entrance and dropping kisses on the heads of her granddaughter and her very soon to be daughter-in-law. "You should have pounded on my door, and I would have come with you. Find me a chair, Alexis. I'll be right back."

Mr. Gates pulled a chair from another table and held it for Martha when she returned.

"Ah. Chivalry is not dead after all," Martha said appreciatively.

"Your family has made us feel right at home, Miss Rodgers," he said as he sat back down next to his wife. "We appreciate that. I've never been one to be star struck, but with two people as well-known as you and your son in the wedding party, I didn't expect to feel quite so at ease."

"I'm glad you aren't easily star struck. As flattering as the concept can be, the reality is a bit tiresome." Looking at Captain Gates she added, I put on my flashy bracelets one arm at a time like everybody else," she said, holding her arms up and jingling the bangle bracelets she wore.

"It's just that Grams' bracelets are a little flashier than most," Alexis teased.

"Aren't you supposed to be in my camp?" Martha asked, elbowing her grandchild gently, "and it's Martha, remember?" she said, looking back at Mr. Gates. "I'm glad you can feel at home here. Our family may be a bit eccentric, but, we take care of one another and the people who are important to us. If everything else disappeared tomorrow, we would all still have that, and we'd all survive, the same way we did before any celebrity status came our way." Then, pausing a beat for maximum effect, she tacked on the comment, "Although I _would_ sorely miss the flashy bracelets," and elbowed her granddaughter again. After patting Kate's hand, she picked up her fork to start her breakfast. "At any rate, Captain, that's what your detective is marrying into. She loves us and can put up with us, and she will be well-loved and cared for in return."

"I have no doubt of that," Gates replied.

The breakfast group gradually grew, and Kate told Alexis to go and get her father. "I'll go back to your room so he can come and talk to everybody. He's probably going stir crazy by now, and we all know he doesn't handle boredom well. You can stay and keep him company if you want. I brought a book with me. It's actually one of his; but, if you want to mess with him, you can tell him it's Patterson."

While Alexis laughed and went to get her dad, Kate excused herself from the group, went back to the Castleless room, and tried to focus her mind on his book instead of the man himself. Finally giving up on that effort and stretching out on the bed, she drifted off into a nap. Around ten-thirty, she woke to the sounds of Martha, Alexis, and Lanie organizing massage tables and a group of spa employees who were ready to start a round of massages, facials, nails and hair. Martha's room had been designated for massages, and they were setting up the tables and the soft music and dimming the lights. In Alexis' room there were small tables and rows of nail polish to choose from, hair dryers, and everything that could be needed for the women to look their best for the wedding. Even though Jenny wasn't part of the wedding party itself, they had insisted on including her in all of that because, as Martha said, nobody needs pampering as much as a new mother.

Since they were maid of honor and best man, Lanie and Alexis were in the first round of massages, and Kate was with them, then Martha and Jenny enjoyed their moments of relaxation as they talked about motherhood between spells of closing their eyes and nearly falling asleep. Nails were done, showers were taken, make-up was applied, hair was styled, and before they knew it, it was time to take everything to the waiting cars and leave for the church.

Alexis had left for a while when the massages were finished to be sure the massage tables were set up for the men. She had decided a good massage would keep her father away from Kate's door until it was time for him to get ready himself…and Ryan and Esposito might as well be included. She laid out everything her father would need to take with him and checked to be sure he hadn't forgotten anything. She made sure the marriage license was in the inside pocket of his tux, took the rings and gathered the envelopes with payments and tips for everyone who should be paid before they left that day, checked to be sure they were all included, and told her dad to call her if he needed anything, saying she would be back to ride with him to the church. She then left the men to their massages and went back upstairs to organize her own things Sending her dress along with the other women.

It was time for the bride's party to leave for the church. It seemed to hit everyone among them at once that, as long as this event was in coming, it was about to actually happen…and in not much more than an hour. And the collective excitement in the air around them was nearly visible.

After the limousine taking the bride to the church left, Castle, Alexis, and the boys were close behind.

Alexis went to change into her dress and see Kate in hers while Castle put on his tuxedo, then she and Lanie busily went about working with the florist to be sure all the corsages, buttonieres, and bouquets went to the right places.

Musicians in place, minister ready, Joseph looking quite pleased with himself, the photographer having pestered everyone in any part of the wedding preparations, and the bride and groom more than ready to get the wedding moving, Jim knocked on the door to meet his daughter.

"Katie, I don't think I've ever seen you look so beautiful…and that's saying something. I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen when you were first born and all scrunchy, red-faced and screaming…and you got more and more beautiful as you grew up. But today…you're glowing."

"I love him, Dad. I can't wait to be his wife."

He held out his arms, and she hugged him like she did when she was a little girl.

"I know, honey, and I'm happy for both of you." Pulling away when he caught the hint of a sniffle, he reminded her, "Now don't mess anything up. You don't have time to fix it." Ryan and Esposito have almost everybody seated, and Rick and Alexis should be waiting for us by the time we get you out there. It's time."

"Ready, Lanie?" Kate asked.

"Let me take a look at you…although, I don't know why. As long as he knows you're about to say "I do," you could walk down the aisle in your jeans and a sweatshirt and he'd think you're the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. But, lucky for you, I don't think I've ever seen you look more perfect, either. Now let's go blow his mind."

Esposito escorted Martha to her seat then waited as Ryan placed a beautifully arranged spray of white lilies on the pew next to Jim's seat in remembrance of Johanna. Regardless of someone else's less positive use of the same flowers the week before, they had planned that small tribute to Kate's mother and wouldn't be deterred from it.

Rick and Alexis entered and waited with the minister, then Lanie, after fussing with Kate's dress, making sure it was perfect, walked down the aisle toward the candelabra of various heights, the banks of flowers, and the perfectly placed ribbons wound into them…and the impatient groom and his daughter. As soon as Lanie had taken her place, the music they had chosen for the bride began, and by the look on Rick's face, they knew that Kate was in view and stood, turning toward her to see for themselves. His eyes were on her for every inch of her much too slow for him walk down the aisle.

After they reached the front of the church, Jim Beckett kissed his daughter's cheek. When the who gives this woman to this man question arose, he answered, "Her mother and I do. Wherever she is, I know they have her blessing," and he placed her hand in Rick's, saying softly, "Take care of her, Son." He then sat down, touching the flowers left beside him in Johanna's honor; and Aunt Teresa, who was already seated, reached out and patted his hand.

Breaking with tradition, Pastor Grayson then asked, "And who gives this man to this woman?"

Martha stood and said, "His daughter and I do, with our blessing."

At that, the tall, white-haired man, who stood far enough behind Ryan and Esposito that he wouldn't be noticed, felt the unnatural, at least to him, hint of tearing up at being left out of Martha's response…although he was well aware that he had no real right to be included. He watched as Richard Castle, unable to stop himself, leaned to place a gentle kiss on Kate's lips, a small anointment of love before the minister had the chance to begin…and a similar smile graced the older man's ruggedly handsome face.

The exchange of vows were made in voices of love and confidence, and the passing of the bouquet was handled with more appropriate dignity than at the rehearsal the night before, but a smile between Kate and Lanie acknowledged the memory.

Rings were exchanged, and pastor pronounced them man and wife. Rick took Kate into his arms and they held one another almost reverently, his face against her neck and hair, both of them breathing in the other with their eyes closed for a long moment.

"You can kiss your bride," the pastor prodded, bringing quiet laughter from the congregation. Rick straightened and the couple smiled. Kate, having decided on flowers in her hair rather than a veil, made it easy for him to lean to give her a loving, lingering kiss. As they opened their eyes to look at each other, Pastor Grayson announced joyfully, Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Richard and Katherine Castle."

Nearly everyone there knowing how long it had taken the newly married couple to get themselves to the altar, the entire congregation stood spontaneously and nearly drown out the musicians with applause that accompanied the Castles all the way down the aisle. Ryan and Esposito walked to the front of the church, Ryan escorting Alexis down the aisle, and Esposito following with Lanie. The couple's parents followed behind them, Jim Beckett walking out with Martha. Jackson Hunt had already made himself scarce.

After congratulations to the newlyweds, the wedding party was whisked away for formal pictures as the guests talked among themselves, New York's mayor using the time to work on some good will among his constituents and posing with other guests for photos and selfies. The photographer was experienced and efficient and took care of the standard formal photos along with a few variations on that theme in a reasonable time. The formalities over, he took time to get candid shots of guests interacting and the standard shots of rice and birdseed being thrown as the couple left. From a safe distance, Jackson Hunt managed a few shots of his own and then watched the caravan of limos and private vehicles going back to the inn, following in his rented car.

xxxxx

The common room at the inn was elegantly decorated and boasted enough substantial hors d'oeuvres to feed a congregation of wedding guests at dinner time. The centerpiece on that side of the room was an elaborate wedding cake that looked deceptively simple in its design and was decorated in muted tones that complimented the wedding dress. There were a few tables and chairs set up there and more spilling out on the porches and decks around the inn, giving the feeling of space to spread out and enjoy. A small band played on one side of the room with a dance floor next to them, and a DJ was set up to cover breaks for the band.

Champagne and a variety of other drinks were set up for the guests, and they began to pick them up as they entered. Alexis asked the band to stop for a few minutes, and when they came to a stopping point, she took the microphone and told everyone that they were going to take care of all the formalities first, and then leave them to enjoy the rest of the evening uninterrupted. "We'll start with seating the bride and groom here in front…on display," she said and waited until her father and his wife had complied with her demands. Castle and Martha looked proud. Alexis was handling her best man duties well.

"We'll start with a toast to Mr. and Mrs. Castle. It feels so good to say that because I don't know about any of you, but I didn't think we'd ever get them this far." Kate and Castle laughed and shared a little kiss, and he put his arm around Kate's shoulders as his daughter spoke. "These two people have had enough ups and downs in their relationship to make a roller coaster proud," she announced, garnering laughter from the crowd. More seriously, she continued, "But after every snag that set them back, they seemed to be stronger, and I don't think that will ever change. I think that no matter what may fall in their path from now on, they're going to face it together and defeat it. So…a toast to the love and strength to contend with whatever life brings and a promise that the rest of their family will always be there when they need us."

She passed the microphone to the mayor, who mentioned that part of the couple was one of New York's finest…one who was determined enough to do her job properly that she was ready to arrest the mayor when it seemed necessary. Kate hid her face on Castle's shoulder at that mention, but Bob Weldon had presented the story with good humor and followed it by saying the city needed more like her. He then offered a toast to their future happiness. Jim Beckett did the same, but with the additional mention of his new grandchild and request for consideration of a couple of others to keep her company. Several other toasts were offered, the wedding cake was cut, the Castles had their first dance, and then the guests were told they would not be kept from the food any longer. Some of them danced along with the various combinations of family and friends dancing with each other and Rick and Kate while others filled plates and found places to sit. The group flowed from the common room onto porches equipped with overhead heaters if the evening got too cool.

As everyone had settled into a comfortable rhythm, Castle stealthily eased Kate back toward the entrance to their suite, but on arriving there, he found that the door was already open. Looking in carefully before allowing Kate to come in, he heard a voice he recognized from Paris.

It said, "If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. Come on in."

"Dad?"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"I didn't mean to worry you, but I can't just walk out there in the middle of everything. I wanted to congratulate you…both of you, Katherine. Like it or not, I'm your father-in-law now."

"Thank you," Castle answered, closing the door behind them.

Wrapping her arm around Castle's waist, Kate said, "From me, too."

"If you weren't going to be seen, why the tux?"

"My only son was finally getting married because he actually loves the woman. I needed to show a little respect if I was going to watch. Beautiful little church…beautiful wedding.

"You were there?"

"Of course I was. I can't stay, but there are some things you should know."

"What did you mean in the note…that things are under control?"

"It means that sometime early next week, you should hear some news that will make your lives easier. There have been some developments lately, and Simmons and Bracken won't be in a position to cause you trouble anymore. Katherine, it's no wonder he was so obsessed with getting you out of the picture. You should see how many times your name or your mother's came up connected to something with his fingerprints on it. You have no idea how often you came too close for comfort to something one or both of them had a hand in."

"Were you working that case?" Castle asked.

"I was," Hunt answered. I'm leaving tomorrow. They don't need me anymore."

"Did you…"

"They're all still breathing, Son, but they aren't happy. I was called in as a last resort and worked surveillance while I waited…all perfectly legal and useful in court…and got to harass Bracken in the process. That was fun. He backed off his plans for now, and he'll be locked up with no options before he has time to make any new ones. It's only a matter of organizing paperwork and clearing the arrest warrants with a judge. They've already arranged for a judge he doesn't have in his pocket. Then there's going to be non-stop news for a while, and a lot of other people going down with him. You'll hear about it wherever you are…if you're bothering to listen to the news. You can enjoy your honeymoon without worrying about him. When you get back, though, you might as well be prepared for some reporters. Detective Beckett's name is going to be out there for a while. Mrs. Castle might actually be easier to use until that dies down."

Kate leaned into Castle's side looking both worried and relieved, and he pulled her close.

"I like your dress, Katherine. Wedding armor. It suits you." Hunt said with a smirky smile way too much like Castle's. Rapidly changing subjects, he stated, "Richard, I'd like to see your mother before I go. Would one of you…"

"Last time you left she said something about closure. She may not want to see you again."

"Well, you won't know if you don't ask her, but there are some things I need to say to her…things she deserves to hear."

"She was taking care of you half the day when you were there. Why…"

"Dammit, boy. If you remember, I had my head in a mission and a bullet in my gut. Not exactly at my best. And I had to sneak away from her to get back to work…again." He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, also reminiscent of Castle. "Look. Your mother and I are both adults, and this is between the two of us. If she doesn't want to talk to me, I'll leave; but she ought to be allowed to decide for herself."

"He's right," Kate said soothingly, still holding on to Castle to show him her support, but trying to allow Martha her own choices, too. "We need to get back to the party, anyway. Heaven only knows what they think we're doing in here if anybody saw us come in. I'll find Martha."

"I know you're not happy about this, but I'll be gone after I talk to Martha." Hunt held his hand out in parting. Castle almost took it, but then gave in and hugged his father, who returned it.

"It's between the two of you," Castle conceded. "I'll talk to her. Thanks for relieving our minds on the rest.

Backing away, Hunt answered, "I may have been a lousy dad, but I'll always be looking out for you…all of you. You can count on that. You and your father, too, Katherine.

"What is it with your parents and full names," Kate asked Castle with a hesitant smile. Apparently the men in whatever family it was who provided the paternal genes in Castle's DNA had the ability to get past a lot of her normally stronger defenses and win her over against her will.

"Just calling you what Martha does," she heard from her new father-in-law, and there was that Castle-like twinkly-eyed smirk again.

She nodded. Not giving in to hugging him yet, she did extend her hand in peace and shake hands before she and Castle left the room.

Kate took Castle's arm as they eased back into the reception in the common room. "Kiss me," she whispered suddenly, turning toward him. "Anybody watching might need a little show if they've noticed we were missing."

He pulled her close with a predatory grin and whispered, "The things a man has to do for his parents," and she giggled as he kissed her solidly; then they strolled nonchalantly back to the dance floor and held each other close, swaying to the music while they surreptitiously looked around for Martha. Kate spotted her first as the dance ended and told Castle where to find her.

They walked over to where she was talking to a couple who had arrived that afternoon and Castle asked, "Could we borrow my mother for a few minutes? We'll gladly give her back soon." They took her out to a part of the front porch that wasn't occupied at the moment and explained the situation. "I can't imagine what he thinks I need to hear, but I'll talk to him. My curiosity is piqued." She started walking away, then turned back. "Thank you, darling. I can tell you're feeling protective."

"She could always see right through you, couldn't she?" Kate asked

"As long as I can remember," he answered.

"I think she sees right through me, too. She's good." Kate felt his chuckle as she leaned back against him. "Let's stay here for a little while. It feels good out here."

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her head. "I like how it feels out here, too."

Martha entered the door of Castle's suite and called, "Hello?" and Jackson Hunt appeared from the shadows of the room. "Exactly what do I need to hear from you, Alexander?" she asked after she closed the door.

"You look beautiful, Martha."

"You could have sent that in a note. You look rather impressive yourself; but if you planned to hide in the shadows, why did you get all dressed up? Now what did you want to tell me? My son just got married, and I should be helping to entertain his guests."

"He's _our_ son, Martha. I can't tell you how much I regret not being a part of your lives, but what happened with Alexis last year is the reason I couldn't. I did care about you…enough that I didn't want either of you pulled into any trouble that came with my job."

"It would have been nice to know there was a reason…not to think you just had your fun and left."

"It wasn't like that for me," he said, reaching for her arm. When she looked at his hand but didn't remove it, he continued to hold her there. "That day with you, that night…it's still the best day I can remember in my life. I didn't want to leave you."

"Then why did you?"

"I was on leave after an assignment we thought was finished. I got a call early in the morning and caught it on the first ring, before it could wake you up. My commanding officer said there was more going on than we thought and he needed me back right then. I was shipped out to Europe that afternoon and didn't get back to the states until a little over a year later."

"You could have found me then. I hadn't gone far…couldn't afford to. People still knew where to find me."

"I did find you, but I don't know why. When I was called back that night, I could have left the job behind; but by the time I got back, I was in deep enough to be looking over my shoulder for enemies. After I took you to bed and then left without saying good-bye, I thought you probably wouldn't want anything to do with me anyway. Even if you did, I couldn't ask you to be part of that kind of life. I just wanted to see for myself that you were okay." He paused and put his other hand on her other arm. "And then I saw you. You were in the park with a baby carriage. I thought you must be babysitting, but then I saw you pick up the baby, wrinkle your nose, and say 'Richard Alexander Rodgers. Not again!' And I knew. And I knew I couldn't take the chance. He'd be safer with just you…nothing to identify him as mine."

"You were that close...close enough you could hear me?"

"Yeah. If my heart hadn't just dropped to the pit of my stomach, what you said would have been adorable. That little thing you did with your nose…"

"It mattered that much to you?"

"For God's sake, Martha. I still wanted you, and I had a son I was afraid to be near for fear something would happen to him. Of course it mattered. My paycheck then wasn't nearly the size it is now, but I tried to do something to help when I knew you needed it. I knew things were hard for you."

"Those envelopes I'd find in the mailbox sometimes…like manna from heaven when money was about to run out?"

"Most of my assignments were out of the country, so I had my brother check on you sometimes. He was the only family I had left, and I couldn't even see him unless we did some elaborate planning. He had a wife and didn't want her in danger, either. I set up an account in a false name and left money he could draw on if it looked like you needed help. The envelopes stopped when Richard was about ten because John was killed in a hit and run. By then things were going a little better for you. I was home for his funeral…couldn't even be myself for that. When I saw you and Richard going into the library. I had a chance to talk to him about the books he was looking at, some mysteries, and I had been to a bookstore earlier. I had just bought the book I gave him. Not exactly the best reading material for ten year olds, but I could tell his mind was beyond the league of most ten year olds. My brother had told me about him, but I finally had a chance to see it for myself. I know I didn't have the right to feel that way, but I was so proud of him…and you. You raised a good man, Martha. I think he got all of our best genes."

"Thank you for explaining…for making me feel…"

"I needed you to know that you meant more to me than…"

"I don't know whether I want to slap you or kiss you," she said, angrily, turning away from him.

"Maybe you could dance with me while you decide? We can hear the music from here…and it's our son's wedding day," he encouraged, moving closer and taking her hand.

"Just one dance," she agreed. "Then I need to get back."

He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close, bringing their hands up to his chest. When she finally slid her other arm around his shoulder and leaned her cheek against his neck, they both relaxed into the moment and moved to the music around the living room of their son's suite. When the music stopped, he pressed a kiss against her forehead and whispered, "Thank you." Then the moment was broken.

"Martha?" Jim called, knocking on the door. "Lanie said she thought she saw you come this way. Are you still there?"

"Duty calls," she whispered and went to the door. "Richard asked me to take care of something for him," Martha explained to Jim. "I just finished. Is there a problem?"

"Only that their flight is getting closer all the time. I thought we might need to help them get away soon."

"Oh, my. I hadn't realized it was that late."

Alexander/Jackson Hunt could hear them as they walked away from the door and listened until the last of Martha's voice disappeared into the music from the other room; then he left.

Martha and Jim found their newly married children sitting cuddled together on the large front porch swing, swaying gently back and forth and talking softly.

"Everything okay, Mother?" Castle asked, unknowingly feeding into the story Martha had given Jim.

"Everything is fine," she assured him.

"We just wanted to let you know what time it is," Jim told him. "You probably need to slip away soon to meet your plane on time."

Checking his watch, Castle seemed surprised. "All we need to do is change clothes and pick up our carry-ons. Everything else we need is already in the car."

"Alexis and Lanie have taken their duties seriously and have guaranteed they'll appropriately handle anything we've left behind," Kate added.

"It's a private plane, so we aren't on as tight a schedule as we usually would be, but we do need to keep an eye on the time. Thanks for that, Jim." Stopping the swing, he looked at Kate. "We should probably spend a little more time with our guests before we leave," he said, "Try to bow out gracefully."

"Yeah, we probably should," Kate agreed, "but I still like it here."

Castle planted a kiss on her forehead, very much like the one Martha had just received from his father, and answered his new wife. "Me, too."

All four of the group went back inside and spent time talking with their guests until the newly married couple had to change clothes to leave.

Watching the long, figure-hugging slip that was under the wedding dress fall away as Kate pushed it down over her hips, Castle reveled in the "special wedding underwear" she had promised he would like. With a plane to catch, they didn't dare indulge themselves much as they changed clothes; but they both enjoyed the visuals and shared a promising kiss before Castle picked up their bags and closed up the suite.

Martha found Jim, Lanie, and Alexis, and all four accompanied the couple to the waiting limo, trading hugs and then practically shoving them into the car.

"Passports are in your coat pocket with the paperwork for the plane," Alexis reported. "The reservation for the plane is confirmed as well as the one for the house. We'll take care of everything else here. Take care of yourself and my stepmom."

"I found it all. Thanks, honey. Best. Best man. Ever."

"We love you," Kate told her, reaching out for her hand.

"Love you both, Alexis answered, "Now get out of here before other people see you leaving and come to say good-bye. See you next week," she said as she closed the door and tapped the roof as she had seen her father do so often. Family and maid of honor breathed a sigh as they left, looking at one another in awe. "They made it." Lanie said quietly. Then, with more exuberance and a little dance move, she said, "The fools finally got over themselves and got married." She grabbed Alexis in a big hug and they jumped up and down a couple of times in excitement before pulling themselves together to return to the party.

Jim and Martha followed behind them laughing but feeling the same way.

By the time the guests had all left or gone to their own rooms, the family and wedding party was exhausted. Joseph's crew had cleaned up the biggest part of the party residue, but he had another crew coming in very early the following morning to remove the decorations and the large items the inn hadn't provided.

xxxxx

Martha and Jim said "Goodnight" and returned to their rooms, Martha finding company in hers. Shocked at first, she calmed when she recognized him. "Alexander? I thought you were gone."

"I couldn't make myself leave you again without saying good-bye. I wanted to leave you a better impression of myself this time."

"Hmmph! You left quite an impression the first time," she said

"Badly phrased, I guess."

"I don't regret it," she said, still turned away from him. "It was hard, but I loved him too much to think of letting someone else have him. He was quite a handful growing up, but he was fun and smart and talented…"

"I wish," he began. "It doesn't matter what I wish. I can't go back and make it better."

She turned back to face him and found him standing right in front of her. Taking his hand, next to his side, she said, "I'm glad you decided to say good-bye this time."

He looked at her longingly; and still holding her hand, he leaned forward slowly to kiss her lips, allowing her time to slap his face and push him away, but she didn't. He slid his arms around her waist, her arms went around his neck, he pulled her closer, and the kiss deepened.

"Oh, what the hell," Martha breathed out quietly, "I just married off my only child to a daughter-in-law I actually _want_ in my family…and if I'm going to celebrate, it might as well be with his father. Are you still as good at this as I remember?"

"I'll give it my best."

"Just don't expect another son this time," she quipped drily.

She heard the beginning of the hearty laugh she remembered and put her hand over his mouth. "Shh! Our granddaughter is next door, and I don't want to have to explain this to her, so…"

"Got it," he whispered with a grin and went to turn out the lights.

Hunt was awake when it was barely dawn, and he needed to leave while everyone else was still sleeping. Waking Martha gently, he told her, "I have to go, but never again without a good-bye."

"You're still good at this. It was a good celebration," she mumbled sleepily, running her hand over his shoulder.

"It helps to have a good partner," he said smiling at her flirtatiously.

"I could never forget you, you know. Richard inherited that damned smirky smile of yours…and knew exactly how to use it. It got him out of so much trouble."

He laughed softly and kissed her forehead again, then they held one another and talked for a little while.

"I don't want to, but I have to go. I don't want you to have to explain me to the others. Hell, _I_ don't even want to have to explain me to the others."

"It's a lonely life you chose, isn't it?"

"I won't try to make it otherwise unless I can be sure it won't hurt the people I care about. I don't know what could happen later."

"I don't regret last night, Alexander."

"I was hoping you wouldn't," he answered and gave her one more kiss. "Go back to sleep. I'm going to get into my rumpled tux and get moving."

He left the bed, gathered his clothes and dressed; then he said softly, "I couldn't forget you, either, Martha," and leaned to kiss her cheek. She heard the door close quietly, and he was gone.

xxxxx

When the limo pulled up to the small airport, someone came out to help with the luggage, and Mr. and Mrs. Castle were greeted by name. They were taken through the security measures required and escorted directly to the waiting plane…and Kate was being introduced to the world Richard Castle could afford to offer her. When they entered, she could see that the cabin of the plane had several spacious seats, appearing to be arranged in a conversation grouping, and to one side, under the windows was a sofa. As Castle guided her through the open space to their seats for take-off, she thought she saw a kitchen. Another area was closed off with impressive doors that she hadn't seen on planes before.

"Castle, this isn't yours, is it?"

"No. I've rented it. It's just us…well, us and the pilots…all the way to Bora Bora. But the pilots mind their own business quite well."

"This is pretty extravagant."

"You promised I could spoil you for the wedding and the honeymoon. We didn't go overboard too much for the wedding, so the honeymoon was fair game. Just relax and try to enjoy it. For once I get to give you what a lot of women automatically expect from a man with a lot of money. We're only going to have one first honeymoon, and we're going to have it in luxury."

The pilots came to introduce themselves and explained that their passengers should stay seated and buckled in until after take-off. They were told that when the seat belt announcement was made, they could have free use of the cabin area. In the event of emergency or impending turbulence, there would be a warning in the form of a recorded message to let them know to return and fasten their seat belts. The pilots introduced a young woman as their hostess for the flight. Kate and Castle accepted her offer of champagne, and when she returned with it, she informed them they would be ready for take-off in five minutes.

"Wow!" Kate whispered as the attendant disappeared into an area near the cockpit. "They really do kind of disappear into the woodwork, don't they?"

"We don't need them around right now, anyway, do we?" he asked, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss it.

"No."

After take-off, when the plane leveled out, the seat belt announcement was made, then Castle pressed the call button for the attendant, and asked her to show his wife around the open area of the plane. He hardly noticed the attractive young blonde; he was too enthralled with watching his wife learning her way around the amenities of a private jet…his _wife_.

Jamie, a pleasant young woman in her twenties, gave Kate a tour of what was available to them on the plane, asked if there was anything else she could do for them, and disappeared again when they declined any other service.

"I didn't know," she said. "If everything we do this week is this luxurious, I may embarrass you with what I don't know."

"You know I'm more likely to embarrass you than the other way round," he answered, putting his arms around her from behind. "Are you a member of the mile-high club, Mrs. Castle?" he inquired softly.

"No. I've missed that pleasure so far, but if you're thinking about that couch… I don't care how much it looks like they've disappeared, I'm not…"

He put one finger over her lips and led her to the impressive doors. I was thinking more in terms of here," he said, smiling at Kate's reaction to the sight of a bedroom and bathroom behind the doors he opened.

"In that case, where do I sign up?" she asked, unbuttoning his shirt as he locked the door.

Pulling the covers back, he pulled her into the bed with him. "Let's see how many ways we can think of to initiate you and that wedding night underwear into married life before the plane has to stop the first time."

"So not where I expected to spend our wedding night…but…"

The initiation began before she could finish her sentence, but she didn't seem to mind.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"I can't believe you're letting me surprise you with our honeymoon," Castle said as he placed glasses of juice on the table between their lounge chairs on the deck. "I had expected a full interrogation before we left…or at least on the way."

"Well, on the way, I was being kept busy with an initiation," she pointed out. "And I did agree to let you spoil us. But, after watching you listen to Joseph and say, 'Sure. We'll do that.' as often as you did without ever asking how much it would cost, I think I probably didn't want to know. I could hardly believe a private plane…with a bedroom. Now we're at a private home with a private lagoon. If you're trying to impress me, it's working; but I didn't need all this. I would have been happy with you and a nice hotel and sight-seeing and some evenings out…and a lot of time alone."

"One: I know all that…and appreciate it," he answered, getting up to sit beside her on her lounge chair and taking her hand. "Two: I want to do this for us because I enjoy being allowed to spoil you for a change. And three: I'm not so much trying to impress you as trying to impress _on_ you that we can have this when we want it. It doesn't have to be a habit. After a really rough case, we can leave on a Friday afternoon and fly to Venice, or wherever, for the weekend…because we feel like it. If we want to replace something at the loft, we can choose whatever we want…hire a decorator to help if we want. You can dress Detective Beckett for work the way you think is acceptable for the job…and I obviously like the way you dress Detective Beckett; but outside the job, Kate Castle can have a designer dress or bag or a marathon shopping spree if the urge strikes her…because Richard Castle is her husband and Richard Castle is an extremely wealthy man…and when she allows it, she indulges Richard Castle because it makes him happy to spoil her sometimes.

"You can really afford to do those things…often…just on a whim, can't you?"

"_We_ can afford that, Kate. We may not take private jets and stay in homes like this every single time a whim strikes, but you married the wealth along with me. And our honeymoon? Anything we want…absolutely anything."

She reached up to brush her fingers across his cheek lovingly. "We'll indulge each other this week, and when we get home we'll start working on a compromise. Are we going to be here all week? Not that I'd have any complaints about that. This place is like a little piece of heaven. I'm just curious."

"The owners will be here next week, so we have the option of the entire week if we want it…or we can leave as early as Thursday if a whim strikes us."

"I'm sooo not good at this, but I can see why it appeals to you so much." She grinned, pulled him down to lie back in the lounger, and stretched out on top of him, folding her arms under her chin and brushing a kiss on his chest. "Let's go out tomorrow…park somewhere and walk around...see what's here. You can show me the places and things you like, and we can look for places and things you haven't found yet. If something appeals to us, we'll do it…or buy it…or eat it…or wear it home…or whatever. Maybe we could find some snorkeling gear and see what's lurking around our lagoon."

He grinned at her. "That's a good start. Any whims for today?"

"Skinny dipping in the lagoon?" she asked playfully. "Seeing more of this place than the bedroom and the kitchen? Maybe dinner out somewhere tonight?"

"Oh...we could go where they serve your dinner at tables in the water. That's fun."

"Yeah. Let's do that," she answered. After a few moments of tracing random patterns on his bare chest, she asked out of the blue, "Did you ever ride a bike?"

"Bike? Like your Harley?"

"Uh-huh."

"Are you kidding? I got my first big royalty checks in college. Can you imagine giving an adventurous barely twenty year old male that kind of money and _not_ expecting that one of the first things he'd buy would be a motorcycle?"

"I might think a sports car."

"That was second," he answered with a grin, and she chuckled.

"Maybe we could go riding sometime…find someplace outside the city and break you in again."

"I think I'd like that."

"This is nice, being here with you…no pressure…no interruptions."

He answered with a little hum of agreement as he lazily played with her hair.

"So far I like being married," she told him.

"Me, too," he answered. "Ready for that skinny dipping, Mrs. Castle?"

"Race you, she said, flinging clothes on the deck and running toward the water."

"No fair!" he shouted toward her back as he stood.

"Sure it is,' she argued, splashing into the water. "I had more clothes. You only had a pair of shorts."

"Technically, with the boxers, two pairs of shorts…but I still win," he answered, following as he watched her backing farther into the crystal clear water.

"It's looking good from my side, too," she said, giving him one of his own signature eyebrow wiggles.

Closing the distance between them, he told her, "I know I'm not anymore, Kate…but sometimes you make me feel like I'm that barely twenty year old again."

"Have you been hearing any complaints?" she asked, making him smile as she was wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing herself close to him.

"Not that I recall." He put his arms loosely around her back, enjoying the easy, loving mood she was setting.

"That's because I don't have any, so you shouldn't worry about it. I'm not twenty anymore, either. What we are now is good, Rick." She gave him a loving little kiss. "We can start from where we are; and now and then, even after we're old and wrinkled, we can have a whim, find a place with a private beach and take our old, wrinkled selves skinny dipping."

"Because we're never going to lose the romance, and we're never going to be boring?"

"Right," she answered with another grin and another kiss.

The morning was spent in and out of the water 'working on their all-over tans' as they termed it. In the afternoon, the housekeeper came, as expected, and replenished the kitchen staples, listed requests for other items, changed the sheets, etc. and was gone shortly thereafter. They had an early dinner at one of the hotels, sitting in chairs in the water in their beach clothes. They laughingly found a place to sit afterward to dry off, then they went back to what they now considered their 'swimsuits optional lagoon' to watch the sunset.

The following day they explored the island, and Kate, as she had promised, indulged herself and her husband by coming back with two new sundresses, new sandals for both of them, ridiculously expensive sunglasses, and a big, floppy hat that gave her sundresses an Audrey Hepburn look. They also found two new favorite places to add to Castle's list, quicker drying shorts for him in case they decided on another in-the-water dinner, and the snorkeling gear they had talked about the day before.

By that night, after what Hunt had told them, they were drawn to the internet on Castle's laptop to see if there was any breaking news about Bracken but found nothing yet. To try to put him out of their minds for the night, they returned to what had already gone from being their 'swimsuits optional lagoon' to their 'clothing not allowed lagoon' and watched the sunset again from beach chairs in the water before they went inside.

While they had breakfast the following morning, Castle turned on the television, and Senator's Bracken's face filled the screen. The newscaster announced breaking news about "the candidate who had the best chance at the American presidency in the next election" and said that the senator had been arrested for a list of charges the station had yet to receive in its entirety…but the biggest were murders, spanning from the latter nineteen-nineties to the present, and drug trafficking, apparently running his campaigns during approximately that same length of time with drug money. The judge refused to grant bail. The senator's long-time companion in his crime spree, Vulcan Simmons, was also arrested for participation in some of the same crimes and was also refused bail. That seemed to be the extent of the information for the time being.

"So he won't be getting out," Castle said with a smile.

Kate had poured them wine while they listened. "It isn't too early to celebrate, is it?"

"It's mid-afternoon in New York, and we're New Yorkers," he answered, accepting the wine.

"And New York is a better place without him. A lot of people are safer now. Who knows how many stories are about to come out…some that sound a lot like my mother's…or my dad's…or mine." She touched her glass to his. "To justice. We have each other…enjoying our honeymoon, starting a life with a beautiful family, and Bracken has the attention of the world on his sadistic lie of a life."

"But you would love to have been there?"

"Oh, yeah."

"I'm sorry you weren't."

"I'm just happy the evidence is strong enough to keep him locked up."

"Do you think you can stop looking over your shoulder for a while?"

"I don't know. The habit is pretty well-ingrained. It may take a while."

"I'll go with you to see Dr. Burke if you want. It's been a long struggle. It couldn't hurt."

"I've already thought about that. You still have nightmares now and then, too. I already trust him. If you like him, a few sessions of your own might not hurt."

"Might not," he agreed. "I've thought about it more than once." She took a couple of sips of her wine before Castle saw the tears falling. He set his glass down and took her in his arms, holding her tight. "Let it go, Sweetheart. It's been a long time coming," he said as he smoothed his hand over her back, and Kate sobbed against his chest until she had cried herself dry. Then he took her back to bed and held her while she slept through her emotional exhaustion.

Needing a distraction more than they had before seeing the news, that afternoon they considered several things that had interested them the day before. They decided that wind surfing would qualify as a honeymoon adventure, as well as something physically demanding to help make them tired enough to sleep. They spent a long afternoon getting the hang of it and then alternately sailing smoothly across the water and pulling themselves back out of the drink after an unfortunate move. Finally ready to call it quits, they went back to the beach to leave their equipment with the attendant and pick up their personal belongings, and then they walked hand in hand to the outdoor bar attached to a hotel building not far away. As they approached, they heard two women, who had obviously been drinking and had lost some degree of volume control in their conversation.

"Is that her?" one of them asked excitedly, and she sat down at one of the umbrella tables, looking back toward the bar they had just left and then at Kate.

The other one looked back, too before joining her friend at the table. "Sure looks like her. You think those scars came from one of the hits?"

Kate immediately handed Castle her purse and put on the gauzy shirt she had hung over her arm; and Castle put a protective arm around her, giving the two women an unfriendly glare. Although she had nearly passed the point of worrying about her scars, even in a bikini, the mention of scars and hits after the emotional morning they had spent, took her by surprise and left her shaken.

"Were they talking about me?" she asked Castle softly. "Scars…hits… How would they know? Oh, god." Her hand went to her mouth, and when Castle followed her line of vision, he saw her face on the small television the bartender had behind the thankfully empty counter.

Having heard the women who had just left him, he looked hard at Kate and back at the screen. "That's you, isn't it?" he asked in very American English.

"Can you keep it down…maybe turn that off?" Castle asked quietly. "Those two have already made her uncomfortable enough."

Lowering his voice but still not turning off the news program, the bartender asked, "They said the senator and that drug dealer had paid somebody to try to kill her three times…and killed her mother before that. Is all that for real?" he asked Castle.

"I'm right here, you know," Kate reminded him sarcastically.

Castle pointed toward the television. "Before you draw in everybody on the beach?" he asked caustically with his arm around Kate's shoulder. "If it's true, don't you think she's been through enough?"

Seeing Kate sitting with her elbows propped on the bar and her forehead resting in her hands, looking upset, the young man behind the bar seemed to regain some of his senses. "Oh…yeah." He turned off the offending machine and apologized, "Sorry ma'am. Are you okay? Can I get you something? It's on the house to make up for my bad manners."

She looked up then, charming him with a small smile. "A margarita would be nice. Thanks."

How about you, sir?" the young man asked.

"Same, thanks," Castle answered. As their drinks were prepared, Castle kissed her temple and gave her shoulder a little squeeze.

"What do you want to do? Dinner somewhere quiet or just go back home?"

"I don't know. Do you know any guys in Bora Bora? Somebody who can find us a nice out-of-the-way corner for dinner tonight? It's our honeymoon. We shouldn't have to cook if we don't feel like it. And I sure don't feel like it. Do you?"

"No. And no guys here, either. I can make a couple of calls, though."

"I couldn't help overhearing," the bartender said and introduced himself. "Carson," he told Castle, offering his hand to the older man after having put their drinks in front of them.

"Rick," Castle answered with a handshake, "and Kate." He smiled proudly as he said her name.

"Congratulations," he said, nodding toward Kate's rings. "Look… I know a couple of guys. One of them works at a real good hotel. They got a nice restaurant there, and he's friends with the head waiter. Want me to see if he can help?" Carson asked.

"That would be great. We'd really appreciate that."

"I'm off shift in ten minutes. If you want to wait, I'll call him."

"Want me to check the hotel gift shop and see if they have a hat like the one you bought Monday?" Castle asked her.

Kate took a deep breath and nodded. I'll wait here…with these sunglasses you insisted on."

As she dug in her purse to find them, he kissed her head then turned to Carson. "There's a good tip in it for you if you keep that thing turned off till we're gone. They _would_ have to broadcast a really good picture of her…unmistakably Kate."

"I bet it's hard to get a _bad_ picture of you, ma'am," Carson said appreciatively.

"You did understand from that report that she's a police detective, right? Try anything while I'm gone, and she can take you down before you see her move." Castle warned, and even got a smile out of Kate.

"Before he even sees me move? Really Castle?"

"I thought your name was Rick."

"It is. Rick Castle. Last names. It's a police thing. That's how we met. It got to be a habit. Sometimes I still call her Beckett. Be right back."

"Hurry," she encouraged.

Castle jogged around to the hotel entrance, went to the gift shop, and returned to impress Kate with a hat similar to the one she liked, even sporting a band in a color that worked well with what she was wearing.

"Your women taught you well, Grasshopper," she told him, obviously pleased with his choice.

"Let's get a table and wait for Carson," he said, leading her away from the bar…cause I really don't want to cook when we get home." Lowering his voice to a whisper, he leaned close to her ear and said. "When we get home, I want to make love to my beautiful wife."

"Your wife would like that," she said flirtatiously, putting her new hat on, and sat down at a table as far from the two loud women as possible.

As they talked quietly, they were interrupted by the rather nasal voice of one of the women asking annoyingly, "Excuse me, dear, but would you mind telling us your last name?"

"Castle," Kate answered and turned her attention back to her husband.

The second woman said loudly. "I told you it wasn't her. What are the chances she'd be here? One in a gazillion?"

"You're right. Let's go get ready for dinner."

The Castles were glad to see them go…and glad the place was at a lull right then so they hadn't drawn others into their speculations.

He grinned at Kate. "That was a milestone. The first time you introduced yourself as Castle." A short moment later he seemed to have had a revelation. "And I believe you just upstaged me. They didn't recognize 'Castle'. They were hoping for Beckett."

She grinned back. "Your dad did say it might be easier to hide as Castle for a while, but I didn't believe him."

Carson was there before long. "I explained the situation to my friend, my friend spoke to people at the hotel, and they have a reservation for you at seven under the name Carson, in case anybody hears you. It will be handled quietly, with the option for the same arrangement for as long as you're here. They're used to things like this."

Kate thanked him as she stood to leave, getting his friend's name as well. She kissed his cheek, leaving the young man a little flustered. Then Castle took money from his pocket, unobtrusively freed a hundred dollar bill from it, and folded it to press it into Carson's palm with a handshake.

"I don't know how to thank you. This is exactly what we needed," he told the bartender.

Chuckling as he realized what was in his hand, Carson answered, "Hey, if you need anything else, be sure to let me know."

"We'll do that," Castle answered, smiling back at him as he was walking away with his hand on the small of Kate's back.

"That gives us time to get home and clean up before dinner," she said.

"Yeah. So now we have a guy in Bora Bora."

"Hey. Are your guys my guys now? Did I get those when I married you, too?"

"Most of them, sure. There are a few you might not want, though…being a clean cop and all. I got to know them doing book research for some of my bad guys."

"Yeah I might want to forego the pleasure of that company."

When they got back to their vacation house to clean up and change clothes, they checked the news reports again and discovered that more information on Kate had surfaced, including the fact that she was engaged to Richard Castle, and her connection to Nikki Heat was mentioned. Kate groaned, wondering what was next.

"With everything Bracken has done, why are they obsessed with me? I haven't done anything to get this much attention. My parents and I are his victims," she moaned as she sat down next to him at the kitchen table.

"Right now, you're at the top of their list…a decorated police detective he and Simmons had tried to kill, not once, but three times, with a fourth attempt planned; but you're still standing. That's newsworthy in itself. Then there's the fact that you're dedicated enough to your job that you saved the senator's worthless life, even after all he had done to you. Eventually, they were bound to realize you inspired Nikki Heat and you're engaged to her author. You're smelling like a rose, and he's smelling like the garbage he's always been. You're top copy right now, Mrs. Castle." He paused for a moment. "What I hate most is the toll it's taking on you. What I hate second most is the effect it's having on our honeymoon… and that it wouldn't surprise me if they dig into your Dad's struggle with alcohol."

"He's worked so hard to recover and done so well; he doesn't deserve that, either…and it feels like it would be my fault because they're looking at me."

"It isn't your fault; and if it happens, your dad won't think so, either. They don't have too many other details yet, so you and your family are symbols of all the others they don't know about. Once they find some of the other families, they'll move on to them. It isn't fair, but it's the way the press works. We might as well prepare ourselves for the reckoning when we get back to New York. Right now they don't know about the wedding and don't know where we are."

It was still early enough in the evening to get away with wearing her hat and sunglasses until they were seated. Kate's new sundress was flattering and the ensemble was stunning. Castle was well-dressed, also wore his sunglasses, and looked impressive himself; and they unwittingly turned heads as they entered. They were led to a table in a secluded corner overlooking a beautiful view of another island off in the distance, and the clear turquoise water that surrounded them; and Castle seated Kate with her back to where they had entered the area.

After an unhurried meal, brief pleasant conversations with their server, and time to relax and unwind, they were feeling that they might get home unnoticed. A hotel staff member accompanied them out, stopping them to check that the hallway was clear before escorting them to the front door; but as they were leaving, one of the two women from the beach was returning from the restroom and they crossed paths again. Sounding more sloshed than earlier in the afternoon, she shouted to the other one, who was seated at a table in the nearby bar, "There they are again. It's them…the one's from the beach this afternoon…Castle."

The other woman was scrambling in her purse for something, and had her cell phone out when they turned in surprise, caught between the two of them. "That must be Richard Castle the nasal voice they remembered shouted back." Obviously practiced in catching quick shots with her phone, she had already snapped a picture before the hotel employ with them could stop her. Castle wrapped his arms protectively around Kate, hiding her face from view, and quickly asked, "Is there another way out of here."

"Follow me, sir," the hotel staffer said immediately and was on his own phone as he led them back the way they came…but not before another camera came out, and a man caught the protective embrace and then went to talk to the women. Security would hold all three until they were cleared by the staff member who had escorted the Castles out. None of them were there for long. Hotel security spoke to three offenders, expelled them from the premises, and barred them from their hotel in the future…but the damage was done.

The newlyweds were led through the kitchen and told that a hotel car would pick them up momentarily to take them home, that one of the parking attendants would return theirs later. By the time hotel security had released the others, their hotel car was halfway back to their vacation house. Just as they arrived, their driver's phone rang.

"It's for you, Mr. Castle," he said.

It was the manager of the hotel calling to let him know that the man their security people dealt with was one of the paparazzi…one who already knew he was persona non grata at the hotel. Their doorman was new and the photographer had taken advantage and slipped in. "This rarely happens, Mr. Castle. We take great pride in the privacy we extend to any of our customers. All I can do is offer my apologies…and a week at the hotel, all amenities included, gratis, if you choose to return sometime in the future."

"I can't hold you responsible," Castle responded graciously. "Your staff handled everything as well as I could have expected. Meeting those women again was a fluke none of us could have anticipated."

"I appreciate that, sir, but the offer still stands. And I thought you should know that the photographer was seen speaking to those distasteful women after they left, and money changed hands. Whatever happened this afternoon is likely to be reported somewhere by morning. Again my deepest apologies."

"Thank you for the information. It's always better to be prepared for those things." Castle ended the call and returned the driver's phone.

"You have one of the nicest homes on the island, Mr. Castle. I hope you'll be able to enjoy the rest of your time here," the driver said.

Castle gave him a generous tip and thanked him before leaving the car and offering Kate his hand to help her out. As they entered the house, Castle sighed.

"What did he say?" Kate asked. "It obviously wasn't good."

"Those two drunken women were seen accepting money from the man they detained until we could get away. That probably means the fact that we're here will be reported somewhere tomorrow, and possibly the question as to whether we're married."

"Any chance of a quiet honeymoon here is probably gone, isn't it?"

"We know at least one photographer would be following us around. And those obnoxious women seem to be everywhere."

"So what do we do?" she asked, looking resigned. "I never thought I'd be the reason we had to find another honeymoon solution.

"What would you like to do?"

"I'd like to have time with just us…not wondering where the next camera flash will happen."

"Do we want to hibernate here at the house…I could think of worse things than having you all to myself with our 'no clothes allowed lagoon' right outside our door. Or we could just go about our business and see if it gets worse. Or…we have a private plane available tonight if you want to go somewhere else."

"If we can't be on a twenty mile island in the middle of the Pacific and escape them, I definitely don't want to go to a big city," she answered.

"Is there any place with lots of open space and countryside that you'd like to consider?"

"I can't think of anything right now. This is so frustrating."

"I know," he said sympathetically, holding her close. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You've done everything humanly possible to spoil me rotten…in private."

"Why don't we sit down and see if we can think of some possibilities? We have a whole world out there."

"That bike trip is sounding better all the time. We'd have helmets to cover our faces," she said mischievously, and Castle chuckled.

"So does anywhere appeal to you for a bike trip…assuming I can keep up?"

After thinking for a couple of minutes as they sat on the sofa and snuggled close, she asked, "Ireland? My parents spent their honeymoon in Ireland. That's where our branch of the Becketts ended up before some of them moved to America. The pictures I've seen of the countryside are beautiful. It looks like we could ride for miles without meeting too many people."

"It's as beautiful as the pictures. Alexis and I were there when she had just started middle school."

"They have news reports there, too, you know. We'd have to get into the country, find a place to stay, and find bikes and riding clothes. Bikinis and surf shorts won't work. How do we manage that without meeting people we may not want to meet?"

"I have some guys there," he said with a grin. "I've done book tours in Ireland. Should I make some calls?"

She thought for a long moment and her smile started small and grew. "We're indulging each other, right?"

"Right," he answered. "Is that what you want to do? It sounds like fun."

"Then let's do it. Call your guys."

"I should probably start with our plane guy. He needs a little time to change dates and destinations."

"Call him. I'm ready to see my husband in leather."

"Leather, except jackets, was a long time ago, Kate. I haven't done any riding since Alexis was born. It didn't seem responsible for a father who was doing most of the parenting."

"We'll start easy, take our time. I like that you're willing to give it a try, and it won't break my heart if we only go out once. And, hey…if we get worried about not being twenty anymore, we can rent a car and go looking for some reeeeally old castles to make us feel better."

He laughed and pulled her close, swaying them side to side slightly as he kissed her. "God, Kate, I love you."

A few phone calls were made, and things were already in motion. By morning in Bora Bora, everything was arranged. The time zone differences were tricky. Their island hideaway was six hours behind New York time. Ireland was about six hours ahead, so it took a little calculation among the people involved, to make time oriented decisions about handling everything as much under the radar as possible. The plane would be available to leave that night as soon as a maintenance check could be completed. Leaving about ten that night would allow them to get into Ireland, do some pre-arranged shopping before the stores they needed were normally open, rent a couple of bikes and a car, and move into one of the two secluded stone cottages someone connected to Black Pawn had arranged for them to see.

They had the entire day to pack, catch up on the latest developments in the newscasts and process the effect on them, enjoy another quiet day together, and watch the sunset one more time from their lagoon. Then they were ready to move on. They were both excited about the change of location and activity…as well as the possibility of easing past reporters for a little more of their honeymoon.

xxxxx

After watching one more glorious sunset, they took their luggage to the car and drove to the airport. Passengers were few and far between that late in the evening, so they were able to get through customs and security and board their plane to wait there until time for take-off.

"The flight will take most of the day, right?"

"Right, but fortunately we have a bedroom," he reminded her, with appropriate eyebrow activity, making her laugh.

"It's going to be hard to forget that bedroom," she whispered, "That was a memorable initiation."

"I did my best," he whispered back, leaving a little kiss on her neck. "You only get initiated once."

"So our wedding night did turn out to be my first time," she answered with a short, little giggle.

He smiled, and she kissed him, excitement filling her in spite of the dread of the possibility of crowds and recognition.

They sat down on the large sofa and waited there until it was time to buckle up. After take-off, Castle told their hostess to let them sleep until whenever they woke up, and they went to bed...not sleeping for a good while.

One of the pilots stopped where the hostess was straightening up and asked for something to drink. "They already went to bed?" he asked.

"Well, it is kind of late. But I suspect... Let's just say, the way they were looking at each other, if you feel any turbulence, it's probably coming from back there."

The pilot laughed, picked up sodas for himself and his partner in the cockpit, and returned to duty.

When they woke up, they took their time getting out of bed. Then they bathed and changed into the most Ireland suitable clothes they had with them, both of them looking very well put together. The hostess prepared breakfast, and afterward, they settled on the sofa until time to land.

On landing, some of the anxiety returned. Kate wasn't accustomed to being pointed out in crowds. It happened on occasion when she was with Castle, but it was usually because of him, and he was good at deflecting it. She didn't mind having to make an occasional public statement as part of her job, but in her personal life, such attention was unwelcome. The timing at the Dublin airport was good. They were cleared in almost no time. The Black Pawn representative, anxious to meet Nikki Heat's inspiration, was there to escort them through the early morning's schedule and help them get, as inconspicuously as possible, to their waiting car.

Early shopping was done for both of them, with a financial reward for the store manager who had been willing to meet them before regular store hours. The next stop was to choose bikes, and the appropriate accessories and riding clothes, and then they were shown the first of the cottages. They both decided it was perfect and they didn't need to see the other one. Their bikes and a rental car would be delivered later in the morning, they were given a grocery order to amend with anything else they might want and could expect that delivery in an hour or two. Black Pawn's representative had brought maps and information about the rural area they were in and seemed more than willing to help with anything else. He had always enjoyed Richard Castle's visits and was impressed with Kate as well.

By noon, they were unpacked, the kitchen was stocked for their three day visit there, there was wood next to the fireplace, bikes were in a garage in the back, a rental car was in the driveway, and they were exhausted.

Kate looked at Castle and laughed as the last delivery person pulled his vehicle out of the driveway.

"That amazing grandfather clock in the corner hasn't struck noon yet and we already have everything we need for the next three days of doing exactly what we planned. You really do have whim money, don't you?"

"And I know how to use it when necessary," he answered smugly.

"Obviously," she answered, looking around her at the results of the morning's whirlwind of activity. "You do realize that all this wasn't necessary, right? Just something we wanted to do."

"And what would _your_ definition of whim be, Mrs. Castle?"

"Point taken." She grinned and put her arms around his neck. "Thank you for spoiling your wife."

"Thank you for letting me and not arguing about it. It's nice."

"Want to see if the bed is comfortable? We could rest a while and take the bikes out for a little exploring later."

He kissed her and answered, "Lead the way."

xxxxx

Armed with their maps and helmets, they took the bikes out to the practically deserted road and took a couple of short trial runs to accustom themselves to the new equipment and to be sure Castle's riding skills were still intact. They looked at the map and decided to take a leisurely ride to identify what was close to them. That would be their only goal for the afternoon, and they both enjoyed it.

Walking back in the door near dark and putting their helmets on the kitchen counter, Castle said, sounding pleased with himself, "My not twenty anymore self didn't do too bad."

"Not bad at all. My not twenty anymore, either, self was kind of impressed with my new husband," she said, grabbing a handful of backside and squeezing a couple of times as she passed him.

They shed their jackets, cleaned up, and made a quick dinner together…and after dinner, explored the loaded bookshelves in the cottage, lit a fire in the fireplace, and read for a while as they sat close to each other in front of the fire.

"It feels like being an old married couple," Castle said, putting down his book of short stories. "Do you think it's going to still be like this when we're in our eighties?"

"Yeah, I do" she answered. "I plan on loving you more then, not less."

"Ready for some sleep? Tomorrow should be an easier day."

"Can we cuddle?"

"Have I ever refused you that?" he asked with his 'You wound me, Detective' act in place.

"Have I ever mentioned that I can tell you're the son of Martha Rodgers?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Wow. Simple question. There's no reason to get mean," he answered in mock insult.

"You know you love your mother," she chuckled. "Come on. Take me to bed."

As he took her hand and they walked toward the bedroom, he requested, "Can you not do that...mention my mother and my taking you to bed so close together. It messes with my mind." He gave a dramatic little shudder to emphasize his point before they reached the bedroom.

The following morning, they explored the area around their cottage. They were on a small hill that gave them a view of the road that wound through the lush spring green of the countryside, and here and there they could see patches of wildflowers in shades of yellow or lavender. The rose bushes that surrounded and sheltered the small patio behind the cottage were beginning to bloom in a lovely shade of pink and practically called out to bring coffee or tea or hot cocoa out to sit with them and enjoy the morning.

On their ride the day before, they had passed a little tavern a couple of miles away, and decided to brave a public place and see what they might have for lunch. There couldn't be too many people there at that time of day. The bikes were brought out, and they made the trip in no time at all, parking them in front of the tavern and taking off their helmets as they entered.

The bartender and the group at the bar, one woman who appeared to be in her early fifties, and three men, looked up when they walked in. Everything went quiet except the soccer news on the television behind the bar as the local folks sized up the newcomers. "I'm Rick, and this is Kate," Castle said by way of introduction and offered his hand to the tavern keeper, who wiped his hand on his apron and returned the greeting.

"Seamus," he said, still seeming to be deciding about Castle. "What can I get you?"

"We were hoping for lunch," Kate answered.

"We don't have much choice, nothing fancy, but I can give you anything on the board over there," he answered, pointing to his left.

They checked the board and ordered. Looking toward the man at his left, Castle smiled and asked "What's the best ale here?" The older man he spoke to didn't say anything, just held up what he was drinking in response. Castle looked to Kate for approval, and she nodded. "We'll have two of those" he told the bartender. This round is on me," he said, gesturing toward the others.

The second man to his left spoke up then. "Dylan. And we thank you." Slapping the man beside him on the shoulder, he added, "Old Liam here ain't much for talking unless he's got something important to say."

"Gavin," the other man offered, "and that's my wife, Megan."

Rick nodded, and Kate waved as they settled themselves on barstools.

"Where you from?" Dylan asked. "I can tell it ain't from around here."

"New York," Kate answered with a smile. "We're here until Sunday afternoon."

As their sandwiches were served, and the round of drinks distributed, the news program went to world news, and there was a report from Germany, then one from the Ukraine, then the news from the United States…Senator Bracken.

"If everything they've been saying about him is true, he should rot in hell," Gavin pronounced.

Then the newscaster was talking about Vulcan Simmons and another two senators and a congressman. The news seemed to be coming in bits and pieces as others in Bracken's network were revealed. Then there was a picture of Kate again, and once more, it was quiet in the bar. She kept her eyes down, and Castle instinctively reached to take her hand protectively. The same information as before was rehashed, and then, in addition, there were the pictures from the hotel, mention of the scars, and speculation as to whether she and Castle were already married.

"That looks a lot like you, Kate," Megan said, sympathetically. "Would your last name be Beckett?"

"It was," Kate admitted.

"That why you two are out here in the middle of nowhere?" Seamus asked.

The reporter ended the segment on Kate by asking, "So we're all wondering. No one in New York has seen Detective Beckett since last week. Where is Nikki Heat? And where is Richard Castle?"

"That's it," Castle answered, still watching Kate. "A couple of drunk and annoying women sold a picture and a little information to a sleazy photographer, so we left the Pacific island we were enjoying and came here…which we're also enjoying, by the way."

"Well, I think I can say for sure that nobody here will sell you out to the press," Gavin told them. "Got no use for that kind of people."

"We appreciate that," Kate said quietly. "More than we can tell you."

"Sorry about your mum," Old Liam rumbled out. "What was her name?"

"Johanna"

"Johanna," Liam said, raising his bottle, and all the others lifted their bottles or glasses and repeated, "Johanna."

"Thank you," Kate said in answer, and Castle put an arm around her shoulders.

"You don't need to worry about being run off from here," Seamus assured them. "You need something we don't have, one of us can help you get it. Just ask. Nobody ought to have to go through what you have, Miss. Now you eat your lunch and don't worry about it."

"Thank you again…all of you." Kate gave them a smile that charmed them all.

"I've read the Nikki Heat books. You're really Richard Castle?"

"I am."

"She keeps telling me I'd like them," Gavin said. "I might have to read them, too, now I can say I met the author and Nikki."

"Not Nikki, just Kate. Those books are fiction," she insisted. Changing the subject, she reported, "Rick owns a bar back in New York."

That caught everybody's attention, and they told them a little about the case they worked on and the history of the place. And Rick finished up by saying, "It's a good place…historic. A lot of writers, including me, sat in that bar and wrote something they eventually published. I wanted to keep the integrity of the place…hold on to the history."

"Folks around here appreciate history. It's how you know who you are," Dylan responded with an approving sound. "Speaking of history, are you part of the Irish Becketts, Kate?" he asked.

"According to family lore, there were English Becketts who moved to Ireland, and some of them went to America in the mid-eighteen hundreds.

"Castle…don't think that's Irish."

"That's who I am now. I was born Rodgers."

"We got some of those around here. Never understood giving up your family name." they heard from Liam.

"Long story, but it's worked for me." Castle answered.

With the rings on Kate's finger, it seemed unnecessary for anyone to ask whether they were married, but Megan did ask how long. When they admitted they were on their honeymoon, glasses and bottles went up again. "Mr. and Mrs. Castle," Dylan said, and the others followed.

A comfortable conversation went on for a while before they left, and they felt confident that they could enjoy the rest of their honeymoon.

For the next couple of days, they took either the bikes or the car and saw whatever sights appealed to them, hiking close enough to see ruins of castles, and visiting one that was still intact, planning for times of day that would have fewer visitors…just in case. They were not letting the senator spoil their honeymoon.

On Sunday another breakfast was enjoyed in the nippy morning air on the patio, one more ride was squeezed in after breakfast, there was a quick visit to the pub to say good-bye, bags were packed, the bikes were picked up for return, there was one more evening in front of the fire, and their time alone was close to an end. Their flight had been arranged for eleven that night to get them back to New York around seven in the morning on Monday.

Their private plane again provided them an alternative to waiting in the airport as well as another night to enjoy honeymoon activity in its bedroom. And then it was morning, and the pleasure of home and family…and dread of publicity to be faced.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"I could call for security if you want, but a driver who's been with us for a long time will be meeting us. Our luggage is right here on the plane, and a well-placed tip will get it to the car so we won't have to deal with it if we want to move fast. So…sunglasses, hat…you ready?" Castle asked.

"As ready as I'll get," she answered with a sigh. "Might as well get my fifteen minutes out of the way sooner than later."

"I'll call the driver. He's supposed to be waiting in the parking lot by now. Then I'll need to find someone to take care of getting the luggage to the car before we get there. We'll have to go through customs, then we can send it on and leave at our own pace."

"You've done this a lot, haven't you?"

"It's been a while since it was enough to worry about. When I was on page six all the time and trying to keep Alexis out of the public eye…a lot…yeah." He leaned and gave her a lingering kiss before going in search of help.

Kate occupied her time nervously while he was gone. To her, it seemed like forever before he returned; but, in reality, he accomplished his task quickly and was back in a few minutes.

When he returned, Kate went straight into his arms, and set off his protective tendencies. Holding her close, he whispered assurances to her. She was his wife, his family, and he was determined to take care of her. Feeling the tension in her shoulders, he knew her anxiety was building, and that he should watch closely for signs of trouble.

"Did you find somebody?" she asked from against his shoulder.

"In no time. I asked the guy driving the baggage cart if he knew anybody inside near customs who could be available to deliver the luggage to the car. He did, I gave him a good tip and told him to have his friend wait at customs with a sign that says 'Carson'."

Kate laughed. "Our guy in Bora Bora would be proud."

"That's a pretty good fake name. We might have to use it again sometime." He nuzzled in her hair and asked, "You okay?" When her nod seemed a little more confident than her quick trip into his arms at his return, he said, "I need to call our driver one more time." Then he took out his phone and made his call, letting Mike know what to expect.

"Sorry I'm so clingy. I'm not making it easy for you to get things done. It feels so girly and dependent."

"You're clinging to your husband, Kate. It makes me feel manly that you need me sometimes," he answered smiling as he pulled her into his arms again.

"I need you all the time, Rick. No matter how it looks. Don't forget that." She snuggled closer and added, "I love you."

"I love you, too." He kissed her head and asked, "Ready to face customs?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

They cleared customs and found the 'Carson' sign; then, after delivering another generous tip and the license number Mike had given him for the car, Castle sent their luggage on its way. Then they headed for the airport entrance. The warm, sunny morning worked in their favor. Kate's hat hid most of her face when she kept her head down, and Castle had his sunglasses on. They made it almost all the way to the entry doors before a woman called Castle's name and someone with her took a picture. She came at them immediately, but he sidestepped her and said, "I'm sorry but our car is waiting," put an arm around Kate's waist and led her through the doors and to the waiting car.

"Get us out of here, Mike," Castle ordered.

"Yes, sir," the driver answered, and pulled out into the line of traffic as quickly as he could.

On the way home, Castle first called his mother and daughter and then called Paula to let her know they were back so she would be prepared. Driving up to their building, they saw that there were a few early bird reporters and photographers waiting there, but a small, manageable group. When they got out of the car, their driver buffered the reporters on one side of the couple and the doorman came out to do the same on the other side; and they got into the building with only a couple of no comment declarations from Castle.

When they entered the loft, Martha and Alexis were there with open arms for both of them, delighted to have them back home. "Sit. Sit. Tell us everything," Martha insisted, and Alexis nodded.

"Are you sure you want to hear _everything_?" Castle teased his daughter as they all sat down."

"Daaad! No! Just the good stuff."

"That _was_ the g…" was as far as he got before a Beckett backhand to the chest stopped him.

"Castle!" she reprimanded. "Your daughter and I don't need to have this discussion together."

"How exactly did you end up in Ireland?" Alexis asked, moving the honeymoon report in a new direction. "We know the news reports had something to do with it."

They explained the situation and talked about their time in Ireland, and Martha interrupted once to say, "Katherine, you didn't get him back on one of those infernal pieces of machinery, did you?"

"Sorry, Martha. I didn't know it was supposed to be off limits…but it was fun…and your son is a good rider…and he looks good in denim," then added mischievously, "and leather."

"I'm buying a bike for the Hamptons, Mother; and Kate has agreed to keep hers there, too. We won't be riding together in the city."

"Thank goodness for at least small blessings."

"Will you teach me, Kate?" Alexis then looked hesitant and asked, "Or is that a just the two of you, honeymoon kind of thing?"

"Maybe for a little while," she said, slipping her arm around Castle's waist and giving him a loving look, "but not for too long. If it's okay with your dad, we can teach you together. It's probably going to be just a now and then thing…a whim."

That got her one of his twinkly-eyed smiles.

"Why didn't I know you ride a bike?" Alexis wanted to know.

"Because I stopped right after you were born," her dad explained. "I needed to do my best not to leave you with just your mother."

"Thank you," she answered softly, imagining what that would have been like as she grew up.

"And what about your private house on the island? Was it everything you hoped it would be?" Martha asked.

"More than I imagined," Kate said. "He arranged the best of everything…spoiled me beyond belief."

"He's been waiting for the chance to do that for a long time," Martha told her. "You finally agreed to a little spoiling, and he could hardly contain himself. I have to admit to encouraging him."

"What did you like best?" Alexis asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"He's my husband," Kate answered without hesitation.

"She's my wife, and she let me spend money on her, give her things she enjoyed. She let me take care of her."

Kate leaned into him, a little embarrassed. "I guess we're still in the mushy honeymoon phase. Work tomorrow might make us a little easier to live with. Back to reality and all that."

Martha and Alexis laughed. "I don't think we expected anything less," Alexis assured them.

Martha, being a realist, asked, "Speaking of reality, what are you going to do about the reporters when you go back to work? As fast as those two snapshots from the hotel made the rounds of all the news media, live shots of the two of you back in New York will be too hard to pass up. That little bunch in front of the building this morning is going to grow; and now that they know you're back, there will probably be more of them staking out the twelfth.

"I know," Kate moaned.

Paula is supposed to call me back soon. Maybe she can work something out…a press conference to answer all the questions so we can move on. Kate can have them arrested if they interfere with an investigation, but anywhere else..." He took a deep breath and released it. "We'll wait for Paula, but we'll have the final say."

"Other than that, it's nice to be home," Kate said. "We should get settled back in, don't you think?" she asked Castle, "before all these time zone changes catch up with us…and we still have to do Paula's bidding."

"Right. I'll get the bags."

"You don't have to do it all. I'll get mine."

"Home less than half an hour, and already getting independent again."

"Hey. Gotta be the take charge team leader again tomorrow. You got the whole honeymoon to take care of me."

Martha and Alexis smiled behind them as they playfully bickered back and forth on their way to their bedroom.

"I hope Paula has some idea of how to get control of the press. I know Kate hates this." Martha said quietly.

"Me, too," Alexis agreed.

Just as they finished putting things away…or in the hamper or the dry cleaning corner of the laundry room for pick up later in the week, Castle's phone rang; Paula was calling.

"Hey, Paula. What's your best suggestion? Kate's here. I'm putting you on speaker." He took Kate's hand and pulled her down to sit on the bed with him.

"She has to be at work tomorrow morning, right?"

"Right," Kate affirmed.

"Then I'd say you have a better chance of getting in and out of the police station in the morning if you get it over with and give them what they want today."

"When today, and what should we expect?" Castle asked.

"I can send a mass email in the next few minutes and have big chunk of the press represented if they really want to hear what you have to say. It's still early. We could plan it for this afternoon. Three? Three-thirty?"

"What do I need to do to be prepared? I'd just as soon go in with as much of a plan as I can manage," Kate said firmly.

"Looks like you're ready for this," Paula answered, sounding surprised.

"More like ready to be done with it."

"You'll be with her, Rick?"

"Of course I will. I'm not throwing her to those wolves alone."

"Okay, Kate. Start with preparing a short opening statement about Bracken, setting expectations for the press questions…setting your limits on subject matter or whatever. Rick can help you with that. Then list every question you can think of that they might ask, and decide on your answers. Be sure you have your notes with you. Wear something that makes you look feminine but Detective Beckett tough. I met her not long ago, and they'll probably pay attention to her. In case we needed it, I've already arranged the option for a convention room at the hotel across from Black Pawn…the one we've used for these things before.

"No objections so far," Castle answered. "Is that enough time, Kate?"

"We can make it enough time. I want this to be over."

"Three or three-thirty?" he asked.

"We'll say the two of you will be there and willing to speak to the press at three. The legitimate press has gone berserk over this Bracken thing, and Kate seems to be the one who caught the brunt of his anger. They all want to know why…and they want details. She's a detective, so they think she'll be able to tell them something they don't know. And now the entertainment crowd wants to know all about the two of you. I'd say to expect a good turnout."

"Great," Kate sighed.

"I'll meet you there at one and have some good wine ready for you. Listen, Kate. You pull out the approach you used on Gina and me, and you'll have their undivided attention. Use that persona to get their attention, then lay down your rules and insist on sticking with them. They won't know what hit them. Rick can hold his own. Let him put his arm around you and look all protective if he wants to. The entertainment people will love it. Hold on to your control of the situation, and the rest will give you some respect. You can soften the edges a little when you answer the questions about the two of you. If you can relax at all, follow Rick's lead if he tries to lighten things up. You deal with murderers every day, woman. At least these people won't shoot at you."

Kate actually laughed lightly. "Yeah, at least there's that. Thanks for the advice, Paula…and for the confidence in me."

"Any more questions?"

"I think we've got it," Castle responded. "Thank you. You're good at this, Paula."

"And don't you forget it," she sassed back. "Call if you need anything. I'll have a car pick you up at twelve-thirty. See you there at one."

When the call ended, they got out their notepads and went to work. They put together an opening statement and then started on the possible questions. By twelve-fifteen, they were both dressed in suits, Rick without a tie, and Kate in a soft gray pants suit with a simple but fashionable and feminine white blouse…soft, but very businesslike…and very high gray heels. Her hair and make-up were perfect…and her nerves were royally rattled.

"Do we pass muster?" Castle asked his mother and daughter.

"They might be too dazzled to ask questions," Alexis teased. "You both look very newsworthy."

"I wholeheartedly agree," Martha responded.

"All of our excuses not to leave are gone, aren't they?" Kate asked.

"The car is probably here already. Shall we?" He opened the door for his wife, waved at his mother and daughter, and they left. Castle called out "No comment" to several questions as they walked to the car.

xxxxx

As promised, Paula met them at the hotel at one…with chilled wine waiting.

"I know it's a little early, but I thought you might want it," she explained, placing three glasses on the table. "Let's see what you have," she said as Castle poured the wine.

He took their completed notes from his coat pocket and put them on the table in front of Paula. She read through them, pointed out a couple of possible changes, and added a couple of questions for them to consider.

"All together, this is very good. You're a good team," she complimented.

"It's why I married her," he commented.

Paula had Kate read her statement a couple of times for practice and wasn't unhappy with what she saw. "Let that detective thing out and do what you just did, and you'll have them eating out of your hand. You're a natural."

"Tell that to my nerves," Kate answered with the hint of a smile. Turning to Rick, she told him, "I'm going to call the precinct and tell the boys or the captain, whoever is there, to tell the rest of the homicide unit we were married last weekend. I don't want them to hear it on the news." Hearing an answer, she began, "Esposito…Yeah, we got back this morning…Will you do something for us?"

As she walked away to finish her conversation, Paula said, "You love her more now than you did when you married her last week, don't you?"

"Yeah. I don't know what it is, but it feels right...being with her."

"It's because you finally found the right one. It looks like it's going to last this time. I'm happy for you." Standing and squeezing his shoulder, she suggested, "Try to help her relax. I think she's going to surprise them…and maybe herself. I need to check on a couple of things. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Esposito is going to put the word out…let them know we intended to tell them when we got back tomorrow." Kate reported, sitting down at the table with him.

"Think they'll forgive us?"

"I hope so."

When Paula returned, they talked for a while, and she finally said, "The two of you can sit in the next room out of sight. When we're ready to start, I'll come and get you. Go. It's time to let in the wildebeests…give them a few minutes to settle in and get impatient."

"Wildebeests?" Kate asked, edgy but amused, as they went behind the screen and into the next room.

"She has a vast vocabulary of names for them."

"I could probably add a few."

"I believe I'm responsible for a number of them myself."

"If you want to call a halt to things and they won't let go, squeeze my hand, and I'll step in. If I think they're mistreating you, I may do that anyway, but I'll let you do things your way before I do. "I think Paula is right. I think you're going to knock their socks off."

"So I should try to leave the wildebeests sockless?" she asked playfully.

"If at all possible," he answered with a serious look belied by the mischief in his eyes.

Paula came in then, a bit earlier than they had expected. "The room is already nearly full, and they're still coming in. We'll have standing room only in a couple of minutes, so you might as well come with me now. We'll seat you at the table until we're ready to start, then you can move to the lectern."

"Do you want me with you from the beginning, or should I wait for a signal to join you?" he asked Kate.

"Stand with me from the beginning. I need you close."

He kissed her cheek, took her hand, and they entered the room that way to sit down with Paula.

When the room was as full as could be allowed, Paula stood and made a brief statement of her own, then the Castles stood together and moved hand in hand to the lectern. Kate put her notes down, put her hands palms down on the surface in front of her, and very slightly relaxed as Castle put an arm supportively around her waist.

Out of the sea of faces before her, there was a sudden onslaught of voices all trying to ask questions at the same time…people trying to gain attention with arms in the air, cameras flashing from several directions…and out of a nervous and annoyed Kate rose the specter of Detective Beckett.

"Stop, now!" she ordered, and the shocked crowd actually did.

"We're here to answer all the questions we feel free to answer…or that we feel you have the right to ask, but if we can't hear or understand the questions, there's no reason to be here."

"She's coming to all my press encounters from now on," Castle said proudly, "And all of you know she's right."

"We promise to have the patience to stay until your questions are answered…or not…if you can have the patience to speak to us one at a time," Kate promised. Rick knows some of you. I'll leave that end of the proceedings to him."

Pausing to see if the quiet was holding and being satisfied that it might, she made her statement. "The understatement of the century would be saying that I would be delighted to see men convicted of the merciless crimes attributed to Senator Bracken and Vulcan Simmons locked away for the rest of their lives. All of you have obviously seen the charges levelled against them by the FBI. However, I understand that the investigations into both men's activities are ongoing; and regardless of what I know, I will say nothing that could in any way compromise that investigation. We may answer some of those questions at a later date; but for the time being, if I say that a question will not be answered, any further asking of the same question will be ignored as completely as you ignored my prior refusal. As to our private lives, we will be open to reasonable questions; but there are lines we will not cross. The same expectations just mentioned will apply there as well.

"We don't intend to make a further statement, but we are willing to answer the questions that fall within the bounds of reason," Castle answered. Since he had been designated to keep the Q&A moving, he decided to start with the more serious news reporters. They could lighten things with the entertainment people later. "Myron, would you like to start?" he asked.

"Detective Beckett, we understand there have been several attempts on your life by hired gunmen. Can you verify that? and can you verify who hired them?"

"Yes, there have been attempts made; and no, I will make no statement as to the party responsible."

Castle, being more practiced at such things had the next reporter ready by the time the first question was asked.

"Reports from various sources say that you were shot while speaking at your former captain's funeral and later thrown from the side of a fifteen story building and left to fall. Other rumors purport that during an undercover operation, you were subjected to water torture and again ordered to be shot. Are those reports accurate, and can those attempts be attributed to Senator Bracken?"

"Those reports and rumors are accurate."

"And the rest of my question?" the reporter prodded.

"Will be ignored as stated," Castle explained calmly and invited the next question.

"Were all the attempts made by the same person, and do any of those attempts connect to your mother's murder? No reference to who hired them."

"Thank you for that. A man named Dick Coonan, who was connected to the local drug trade, was hired to kill my mother and two other women who were also involved in trying to raise awareness of drugs in the community. They were making enough of an impression to be of concern to the local drug trade. He was followed by Hal Lockwood, who used the same water technique on one of my partners, and then Cole Maddox. A fourth shooter was connected to the undercover operation mentioned earlier, and a fifth…a woman, appeared there later. The early information is a matter of public record for anyone willing to do their homework."

"A brash young reporter asked snidely, Is it true that you shot Mr. Coonan, the man who shot your mother? Wasn't Mr. Castle the hostage? So you shot your mother's killer to save your lover. Why weren't you reprimanded for that? Was it favoritism within the brotherhood?"

"I'll take that one," Castle answered "I was the hostage, but not her lover. We've only been together for the past two years. Coonan had a gun to my head, several other detectives had guns drawn; words were exchanged, and when the opportunity arose, I head-butted Coonan and moved as far to the side as possible. That left Detective Beckett as the only one with a clear shot, and she took it. She tried desperately to keep him alive for the medics…worked until we dragged her away. There was no reprimand because the man would have shot anyone else he had to in order to escape. An investigation determined that she had no choice. Without that shot, there would likely have been a lot more bloodshed."

"And why would we believe she wanted to save her mother's killer?"

"Because he was the only one left at the time who could tell me who hired him to kill her," Kate answered quietly, earning sympathy from the others. "And I wanted to know who was responsible…mostly for myself and my dad, but for the other women's families, too."

The next question was more respectful. "Speaking of saving lives…did you really save Senator Bracken from an exploding bomb, knowing what he had done to you and your family?"

"I got him out of the way of an explosion because keeping him alive was the job I had been given to do. The brotherhood expects that of its members," she answered, looking pointedly at the young reporter who had now become something of a pariah among the others. "Are there other questions that don't require assignment of who hired assassins or other information I have said won't be discussed?"

The room was quiet, seemingly in respect.

At the silence following that question, one of the entertainment reporters asked, "Was that you and Mr. Castle in the pictures from Bora Bora? He looked pretty protective…like he does now."

"That was us," Castle admitted.

"The possibility of a marriage was mentioned," the next person commented. "Are the two of you already married?"

"Nine days ago," Kate confirmed, holding up her left hand, rings forward, with a smile toward her husband, who held up his left hand as well. He smiled back at her and moved his arm from her waist to her shoulder, relaxing into the lighter questions. Kate slipped her arm around his waist and tried to relax, but wasn't really there yet. "We were there for our honeymoon."

"No one saw you there again after the pictures came out…how did you manage that? We know you just got back to New York this morning."

"It's hard to avoid people when you're on a small island, so it was either hide out for the rest of the week in our island paradise or cut our trip there short and find somewhere else to go. We opted for a little more freedom and went to rural Ireland…another little piece of paradise," Castle answered.

"I'm guessing we weren't too popular with the two of you."

"Good guess," Kate answered without seeming unfriendly.

"So is it now Detective Castle and consultant Castle?"

"Detective Beckett at work and Mrs. Castle elsewhere," Kate explained.

"So Rick, one of the men teased, does that mean you're Mr. Castle elsewhere and Mr. Beckett at work?"

Both members of the couple laughed at that before Rick answered with a grin," I'll have to consider that thought."

"What's in rural Ireland?" another man wanted to know. "Doesn't sound like much excitement."

"Beautiful countryside, a gorgeous little stone cottage with a beautiful view…" Kate began.

"And motorcycles, roads with not much traffic, and some new acquaintances to visit at the tavern when we go back sometime…people who value privacy." Castle was still efficiently pointing out people for questions.

"You took your wife out on motorcycles for your honeymoon?!" a woman asked incredulously.

"Well, you folks made it impossible to take her to fancy public places without being pointed out and followed. Is that how you'd want to spend your honeymoon?"

"And the truth of it is that the bikes were my idea," Kate pointed out in his defense. "We rode a lot and did some exploring...lots of history there. We enjoyed it."

"I think your daughter is in college, isn't she, Rick?" a woman asked Castle. "Do you and your wife plan to have children?"

"Neither of us is opposed to that, but no immediate plans."

"Tell us something about Rick Castle that we don't know, Detective," another woman asked.

"He's not all of what his image has been. One of the first things to convince me of that was the way he lit up when he talked about his daughter. I've never seen a father any more devoted to his child. He's really a family man at heart."

"Do you get along well with his family? His mother is there, too, isn't she?"

"She is, and sometimes I think she likes Kate better than me," Rick answered.

"No she doesn't," Kate corrected, smiling, "but his mother and daughter have adopted me. His daughter is home at least for the summer…deciding where to be for college in the fall; so right now our home houses a three-generation family. It's nice. They've even adopted my dad…but he does still have his own place," she joked.

"Does Rick really work with the police that much, or is it just hype for the books?"

"Detectives Ryan and Esposito, and I have valued Castle as part of the team for years now. He would have made an excellent detective. He's gone from annoying writer following me around for book research, to annoying writer who has some redeeming qualities and some good insights, to a friend to all of us who helps us with a lot of tough cases, to nearly full time civilian consultant who we miss when he's off doing his real job."

"If the city pays him as a consultant…"

"Wait…" Rick said, looking at Kate, pretending shock. "The city _pays_ for that and nobody told me?"

"He volunteers his time," Kate explained, seeming amused. "A lot of it."

"Will there be more Nikki Heat books after the new one?"

"As long as there's a market for them," Castle answered.

"Those sexy scenes in the books…any truth there?"

"Again, we've only been together for two years," Kate responded, looking a bit embarrassed. "Pure fiction."

"And what about the new ones?" someone teased.

"I've been threatened with harm to uummm…things I value highly if anything she recognizes turns up in one of these books… so again…pure fiction," he answered with a grin.

"Can we get a kiss?" one of the photographers requested.

As cameras clicked, the couple looked at one another for a long moment before Castle put one hand on Kate's jaw, her hand came up to his chest, and he gave her a soft, lingering kiss…plenty of time for the cameras to catch it.

"Anybody want to ask that question again?" Castle quipped without taking his eyes off Kate, and garnered the ripple of laughter he'd expected.

"I think that might be a good place to stop," Kate announced, turning back to the reporters. "I don't understand why you're so fixated on me. I'm not alone in this. Others met the same people and weren't so lucky. Other families had their lives turned upside down by the same people, and their stories are just as important. I hope this will be enough from us for a while. We won't be answering any more questions; and after today, I hope my workplace will be respected. My colleagues shouldn't be inconvenienced by having to dodge a flock of reporters and cameramen because of me, and we'd like our neighbors to be able to enter and leave their own homes without obstructions. I'm sure you would wish the same for yours."

"Thanks for your cooperation," Rick said, and waved genially as he guided a relieved Kate out of the public eye.

Once behind the screen that was set up for the cameras, he took her in his arms and asked, "Better now?"

"Yeah," she answered, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her forehead on his chest. "It wasn't quite as bad as I thought, but it's still not at all appealing."

"Well, I think I can safely say you left a room full of sockless wildebeests in your wake."

Paula was leaning against the wall watching the couple. "Pure gold," she commented. "Rick, if that didn't make you richer, I'll need to worry about the market for books. Kate, they loved you. Perfect balance between tough detective and loving member of a newly constructed family. Just enough information to make them love you as a couple and as a partnership at work, and lines drawn about what's off limits personally. You showed integrity about doing your job and protecting the case that could put away someone important…someone you can eventually tell them you despise. And all without looking like you planned any of that."

"I didn't!"

"I know," Paula answered, practically beside herself with enthusiasm. "It was natural instinct, and I love it."

Kate turned to Rick in confusion at what felt so un-instinctive on her end, and he laughed. "She's happy. Just go with it," he encouraged. "You were amazing."

"I've called the car," Paula reported. "You two go home and relax now. You've earned it. And I'll be looking for wedding pictures, maybe video that I can use for press releases."

"Thanks for all the help and encouragement," Kate said to the other woman and reached to shake her hand, and Paula responded with obvious respect.

Rick looked on, pleased that a little more of their two worlds were beginning to merge. "Let's go," he encouraged.

As they passed some of the reporters in the lobby, they were allowed to move freely. Some of them called to them with congratulations on their marriage, and a couple of others offered their wishes to Kate that all her life threatening trouble had passed now.

xxxxx

When the car reached their building, they walked hand in hand past the few reporters lingering in front and then Castle turned and explained quietly that from now on, neither he nor anyone in his family would respond to reporters who waited at their home and obstructed the street for their neighbors. After that, they walked into the building and went home.

Martha was in the kitchen when they arrived, and asked, "How was it?

"She hated it, but she was so good at it," Castle reported proudly.

"So it went well?" Alexis asked as she came down the stairs to meet them.

"It didn't kill me," Kate answered, and Alexis laughed at what had become their personal joke and gave Kate a big hug. "What makes it worth all the trouble is that we don't have to try to hide anything anymore. We had our quiet, family wedding, and we almost had a reporter free honeymoon. Everybody knows we're married now, and we can tell them about the wedding instead of hiding it from them. It feels good.

Castle was on his way through the study to hang his jacket in their closet and noticed a box on his desk. "What's this?" he called to Martha and Alexis.

"Wedding pictures," Martha called back. Alexis and I are dying to see them, but we thought we'd wait until you had a chance.

"Paula demanded some for press releases," he told them, looking in the box. The photographer had managed to hide cameras within some of the ceremony's decorations to get video from several angles; and at every opportunity where he was allowed, he had taken a number of candid shots during preparations both at the inn and at the church.

There was an album that the photographer had put together, and the single shots that didn't make his cut for the album were in plastic sleeves. Castle had told him not to throw away anything…to let them decide, so they had a box full of photos and cards with copies of all of them.

There were also several DVD's from the wedding and the rehearsal and the photographer's DVD of the wedding with the best views from all the disks; and they discovered later that he had edited it amazingly well.

"Can we look with you?" Alexis asked, "Or do you want to see them alone first?"

"Kitchen table again?" Kate asked. "Can we wait long enough for my dad to come over if he has time?"

"We should have thought of that. Tell him to bring Chinese," Martha said with a teasing smile.

Kate grinned and took her phone from her pocket as Castle told her, "Tell him we're having Chinese, and we'll order. He and the food should get here about the same time."

"Hi, Dad," she said when he answered. "We're home, and the wedding pictures came today. Want to come over and look at them with us?" She listened and then said, "We'll be looking for you…oh, and we're having Chinese…love you, too. Bye."

"He said he'd be here in half an hour."

"When will you know what the reporters do with your question and answer session this afternoon?" Martha asked

"I imagine it will be randomly distributed in varying amounts wherever they need something to fill space. It looked like most of them would be fair about it."

"Except that one young guy with a chip on his shoulder."

"An annoyance of a public life. There's always one. I think there are enough of the others to counterbalance anything he says, though," Castle assured his wife.

"Why don't we each take a station and see if we can find any of it," Alexis suggested. "That should fill time between when we get Granddad and Chinese."

All the television sets downstairs were turned on, along with the laptops, and everyone found a different news program, some part of the questions and answers turning up eventually on all of them. Comparing notes, they found that several newscasters had shown the look before the kiss with different comments, all meaning, "If that look is any indication, this marriage is going to last."

"I'll bet the whole thing is on youtube by now," Alexis speculated. "We can watch it later." Hearing a knock on the door, she walked toward it saying, "I wonder if that's Granddad or the food." on opening the door, she said with a grin, "Dad, it's for you."

"I assume that means money is required," her father answered.

Jim Beckett walked up behind the delivery man and took care of the bill before Castle got to the door. "It's on me this time," he told him. "Where to?" he asked holding up the bags.

"That depends," Martha answered. "Are we eating first or looking at wedding pictures first?"

"Warming drawer?" Alexis asked hopefully. "I really want to see the pictures."

Everyone agreed and they all sat at the table passing pictures as they had done before. Reactions were wide…from full laughter to a quiet "Awwwww" and everything in between. Then they all stood behind Rick and Kate and watched as they turned the pages in the album, seeing the photographers fine eye in his choices. There were the formal shots along with some that were more informally posed and some candid photos that caught perfect little segments of time.

"The man is a genius," Martha stated as they closed the album.

"Which is exactly why we hired him," Castle said smugly. "And he earned every arm and leg he charged."

The photos were tucked away, dishes, etc. distributed, and the Chinese food containers were spread rather unceremoniously on the table for dinner. They all enjoyed it, as much for the company as for the food.

At bedtime, the newlyweds took the album to bed with them and looked through it again alone. Then they put it aside and made love to one another gently, before morning came and they had to be back at work.


	19. Epilogue

Epilogue

Their return to the precinct was met with applause and the presence of a large cake on Beckett's desk, and comments about their star status after the previous night and the morning's news reports…Beckett saying she'd be glad when her fifteen minutes of fame passed on to somebody else. Most of the flock of reporters were gone, and this time it was Kate who explained to the die-hards the concept of not responding to anyone blocking her workplace entrance.

They quickly fell back into the routine of cases, and working with colleagues, Karpowski collected her winnings and took a trip home to visit her family, and Captain Gates seemed to be a little easier on Castle.

Castle dragged Beckett to meet with his attorney and his accountant, and she was predictably appalled at what Castle insisted was hers as well as his. His attorney had been with him through two divorces from greedy women, for whom Castle had provided generous personal accounts rather than access to his entire fortune. Meredith was perfectly happy with that. As long as she could spend as much as she wanted, she had no desire to have to deal with anything else. Gina was a wealthy woman in her own right; but when the divorce came, she was in a position to know exactly what was accruing in Rick Castle's bank account and insisted on her share, with alimony. He advised Rick to follow that same path with Kate, but he soon understood the difference. When Kate looked at everything she was being granted access to, and broke into tears, telling Rick she just wanted to be married to him, that she didn't want all of that, both men's jaws dropped; but she agreed to sit with them periodically to learn what she needed to know about how to handle his financial affairs if anything happened to him. And Kate insisted that Alexis be with her for those instructions, feeling that it was meant more to be Alexis' inheritance than Kate's own personal windfall.

Now and then they would get a message from Jackson Hunt in Martha's new drop box; and eventually a trip to a private hunting lodge in the mountains was arranged and Alexis finally met her grandfather.

Kate was promoted to lieutenant, which gave her the option of working in the field or not. She chose to work with her team as she always had until she and Castle were expecting their first child, and then she voluntarily took herself out of the field and turned the team over to newly promoted Esposito. When Captain Gates decided to retire, Kate was in place to take the captain's exam, and Gates pressed the brass to name Kate as her replacement.

True to Castle's prediction, they had children, and growing old together seemed very likely, especially with Bracken and a large number of his co-conspirators behind bars, most serving multiple life sentences. With two small children at their ages, life with the Castles was certainly never boring; and as they had promised one another, they never lost the romance.


End file.
